LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



Shelf .-L_^:L.'f^.^' 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



JUak^rs of 



BIOGRAPHICAL STORIES 
FROM UNITED STAIES HISTORY 



O KETCHES OF THOSE WHO HAD CHIEFLY TO DO 

^ WITH THE DISCOVERY, EXPLORATION AND 

DEVELOPMENT OF OUR COUNTRY - - - 



ILLUSTRATED 



AUG 31 1894^ 



17 
By Edward S. Ellis, A. M. ' 



Iv^-X 



MDCCCXCIV N. « « 



^\-\^ 

^^^ 



Copyright 1894 
By John E. Potter & Company 



INTRODUCTION, 



T'HE aim of this little work is not to give a history 
of our country, but rather to awaken a desire on 
the part of the pupil to study that history. In no way 
can such a desire be aroused and strengthened as by 
accurate and interesting biographies of the men who 
had the most to do with the buildinor of the nation. 

I have selected, therefore, from the large number 
those who have made an imperishable record in our his- 
tory. Each did well his appointed work and its study can- 
not fail to be useful to the young student. Nothing is so 
pleasing to children as stories, and when these can be 
made instructive their highest purpose is attained. 
What is more absorbing than the accounts of the great 
men, without whom our country could never have 
been what it is to-day ? Those who discovered, who 
explored, who settled, who gave their lives for it, who 
developed its industries and who are still engaged in 

(xi) 



5ntroDuction. 



its highest service — of these the boys andgirls can not 
learn too much. These biographies may be considered 
as so many pegs upon which useful historical knowl- 
edge can be hung and added to by a fuller study of the 
United States history proper, 

E. S. E. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. PAGE 

Christopher Columbus 17 

CHAPTER II. 
De Soto 31 

CHAPTER III. 
Henry Hudson 37 

CHAPTER IV. 
John Smith ,,......, 44 

CHAPTER V. 
Miles Standish 55 

CHAPTER VI. 
La Salle 61 

CHAPTER VII. 
William Penn ......... 69 

(xiii) 



xiv Contents. 

CHAPTER VIII. PAGE 

Benjamin Franklin ^^6 

CHAPTER IX. 
George Washington ........ 88 

CHAPTER X. 
James Robertson and John Sevier ..... io8 

CHAPTER XI. 

Eli Whitney , . . . , , , , .122 

CHAPTER XII. 
Thomas Jefferson . . . . . . , ,127 

CPIAPTER XIII. 
Andrew Jackson 134 

CHAPTER XIV. 
S. F. B. Morse 141 

CHAPTER XV. 
J. C. Fremont 150 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Abraham Lincoln 164 

CHAPTER XVII. 
U. S. Grant 173 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Thomas A. Edison 183 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

Christopher Columbus . , . . . 19 

De Soto in Florida 29 

Burial of De Soto ,,.>•'' 33 
Henry Hudson . • , c . . . - 39 

The Half Mo oil Ascending the Hudson . , 41 
Captain John Smith ...... 47 

Benjamin Franklin ...... 79 

Thomas Jefferson . . , . . . .129 

S. F. B. Morse 143 

Fremont in the Rocky Mountains . . . • ^57 

Early Home of Lincoln . . . , .165 

Assassination of President Lincoln . . - ^1^ 



^v' illustrations, 

Ulysses S. Grant ..... 
♦* The Man on Horseback " (U. S. Grant) . 
Thomas A. Edison . . . . - 



175 
179 

184 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 

Dis-cov'er-ies (kuv), that which is found out for the first time. 
Courts, residences of sovereigns. In-sist'ed, urged. Ex'- 
pe-di'tion, an important enterprise. F66l'hard-y, brave 
without judgment. Myth'ic-al, imaginary. U'ni-form, a 
dress showing a person's rank. Pro-ces^sion, a train of 
persons moving in order. Cav'al-cade, a procession of 
persons on horseback. Pa'tri-arch', the father of a family. 
Dig'ni-ty, loftiness of manner. Bro-cade', silk or stuff 
ornamented with gold and silver. MarVel-ous, causing 
wonder. Fleet, a number of ships. 

IF YOU should ever visit It'-a-ly, you must not fail 
to go to the old city of Genoa (gen'o-ah). Many 

strange sights are there, but I am sure that none 
will please you more than a small, plain house of 
stone, with some v^ords in Latin carved over the door. 
These words mean : " No house is more worthy. Here, 
under his father's roof, Christopher Columbus passed 
his boyhood and youth." 

The Youth of Columbus. — It is strano-e that no 
one knows the year in which Columbus was born. 
Learned men have tried to find out, but all that is cer- 
tain is that it was some time between the years 1430 
and 1450. His father's business was to make wool 



i8 Cbri6topbcr Columbus. 

ready for the spinners. Christopher and his three 
brothers learned the trade and wrought with their 
father. Christopher was soon able to write a good 
hand, to speak and write Latin, and to draw maps and 
charts for the sailors who came into and left the port of 
Genoa. Few knew how to make maps and charts, and 
the boy earned fair pay. 

You must remember that when Columbus was a 
boy few people in Europe had ever heard of America. 
There were dim, vague stories told now and then of 
strange lands far off beyond the Atlantic. The hardy 
sailors of Norway had really seen Greenland and a part 
of the New England coast. That, however, was more 
than four hundred years before Columbus was born and 
nearly every one had forgotten about it. Those who 
remembered did not believe the stories. The ships 
used by the navigators were small and the sailors were 
afraid to go very far out on the stormy ocean. They 
thought themselves quite brave when they cruised up 
and down the Med'i-ter-ra'ne-an. The jewels, silks, 
spices and drugs brought from Asia were carried on the 
backs of camels. 

Columbus was a thoughtful boy and his heart was 
stirred by the accounts he heard of the discoveries made 
by Prince Henry, the son of the king of Portugal 
(poar'tu-gal). This prince did not believe, like most 
people, that Africa stretched clear down to the South 
.Pole. He thought there was a way of sailing round it. 
He sent out ship after ship to find the right course. 



Cbdstopber Columbus. 



19 



These discovered most of the coast of Africa. Columbus 
had learned to be a sailor, and when a young man went 
to Portugal and also sailed along the coast of Africa. 
He went as 
far north, too, 
as England. 
All this* time 
he was study- 
ing and think- 
incr. He was 
sure the world 
was round and 
the right 
course to Asia 
was to sail 
westward 
across the At- 
lantic. He had 
no idea that 
between Eu- 
rope and Asia 
was another Christopher columbus. 

continent and an ocean three times as wide as the Atlantic. 
The Efforts of Columbus to Obtain Help in his 
Enterprise. — Prince Henry was dead and Columbus 
went to the advisers of the kine and told him his belief. 
He thought he ought to receive a large reward if he 
succeeded in discovering the new route. The men 
laughed at him, but the king thought maybe Columbus 




20 Cbristopbcr Columbus. 

was right. So he slyly sent out some of his captains to 
learn the truth. They were too timid to go very far and 
hurried back with word that no land was to be found. 
Columbus was angry when he learned how the king had 
acted, and left Portugal. 

But he would not give up his belief. He went to 
Spain, which was ruled by King Fer^di-nand and Queen 
Is'a-bel-la. Spain had a- great war going on and could 
give no heed to the dreamer, but Columbus followed the 
rulers from place to place, through summer and winter 
and for year after year. We call people like him '* cranks," 
and look on them with pity. Only now and then could 
he find anyone with patience to listen to him. His wife 
died, but, taking his little boy by the hand, he walked 
from town to town, sometimes beeeinsf for food. Then 
he would draw maps and sell them so as to be able to 
buy food and clothing. He was growing old, but he 
clung to his belief. 

One thing stood in his way : he insisted that he 
should receive a large share in the value of the dis- 
coveries he made. Ferdinand would have helped him 
sooner but for this. The kincr shook his head when he 
heard the price the Italian (it-al'yan) sailor asked. 
Feeling at last that no hope was left for him in Spain, 
Columbus set out for France to find what he could do 
there. Some of his friends hurried to the queen and 
told her it would be a o^reat mistake to let Columbus o^o. 
The queen sent a messenger in haste and brought him 
back. Then she told him she had made up her mind to 



Cbristopber Columbus. 21 

do as he wished. He should have means to make his 
wonderful voyage westward, and if he succeeded, he 
should be paid the price he asked. How delighted 
Columbus must have been when he heard these words ! 
The o-ood woman showed how earnest she was by offer- 
ing to sell her jewels if it should be necessary to get the 

funds. ' 

The Voyage of Discovery. — You would think 
that the real hardships of Columbus were ended when 
the means was given him to fit out his expedition, but it 
was not so. Even the most hardy sailors shrank from 
sailing out on the " Sea of Darkness," as the Atlantic 
was called. They were certain they would tumble off 
the other side of the world or be eaten up by the 
dreadful monsters that sported in the distant waters. 
Finally a crew of something more than a hundred 
men was gathered and the start made. The expe- 
dition consisted of three car'a-vels, or small ships, 
named the Santa Maria, which was the largest and 
commanded by Columbus himself; the Pi7ita and the 
Nina. They sailed from Pa'los, Spain, August 3, 

1492. 

Perhaps you saw the models of these three caravels 
at the World's Fair in Chicago. Compare them with 
the great steamships which now cross the Adantic and 
you \\\\\ agree that Columbus and his sailors were brave 
men to trust their lives in them. They could not know 
how far they would have to go and were certain to meet 
severe storms, while nearly all believed they were sail- 



22 Cbristopbcr Columbus, 

ing straight to death and would never see friends and 
home again. 

Three weeks after starting, Columbus stopped at 
the Ca-na'ry Isles for food and water. He then headed 
westward again. The weather was fair, and the heart 
of the navigator must have throbbed with emotion, as 
he sailed out on the mighty deep with nothing but sky 
and ocean in sight. He knew that every day and hour 
took him farther from Spain and nearer the far-off and 
unknown country. When they should arrive there and 
what it would prove to be, no one could tell. 

The sailors did not feel as hopeful as Columbus. 
They were angry with themselves for having started 
upon so foolhardy an enterprise. They hoped some- 
thing would happen to make the navigator turn back 
before it was too late. As day after day passed with 
the bows of the little vessels pointing toward the setting 
sun, and the foamy waters spreading away from the 
stern, with no sign of land or sail anywhere, strange 
things added to the alarm of the sailors. The tiny 
dancing needle of the compass stopped pointing toward 
the north. Columbus did not know what to make of it, 
but he was ready with an explanation that satisfied his 
men. He kept two records of his progress. He did 
not let the crew see the true one, but showed them an- 
other, which made it appear they had not sailed as far 
as was the fact. 

The fears of the sailors increased. They grumbled 
and grew so sullen that they were ready to throw their 



Cbristopber Columbus* 23 

commander overboard and turn back. Hope continu- 
ally changed to disappointment. When the cry of land 
was raised it proved to be caused by a bank of cloud. 
The appearance of bunches of floating grass and sea- 
weed roused terror of a mythical frozen ocean, when it 
ought to have satisfied them they were near land. You 
would think that the sight of birds circling about the 
ship would have been sufficient to remove the alarm of 
the sailors, but they grew more discontented. By 
threats and promises of reward, Columbus got them to 
sail a few days longer to the westward, when, if land 
was not found, he promised to turn about and go back 
to Spain. 

More signs of land appeared. A bush with red 
berries and a piece of carved wood floated by. The 
grass was of the kind that only grows on land. The 
birds became more plentiful, until the sailors were cer- 
tain that they were drawing near the unknown country. 
They could think of nothing else and did not try to 
sleep. 

Columbus took his place on the high deck at the 
stern of the Santa Maria to watch with the others for 
the first sight of land. He knew it must soon appear, 
but it might not be for hours. A hush rested upon all, 
for every one was peering through the gloom, on the 
alert to win the velvet coat that Columbus had promised 
to the first one that made the discovery. 

What looked like a tiny star suddenly flashed out 
in the darkness. The heart of Columbus gave a quick 



24 Cbristopber Columbus. 

throb and he watched it closely. The light did not stay 
still like a star, but moved from side to side and rose and 
fell. It looked as if a man was running along the beach 
with a blazino- torch in his hand. Columbus called to two 
of his friends, but it vanished before they saw it. They 
were afraid of another disappointment, because there 
had been many false alarms ; so they decided to wait 
till it appeared again or something else was seen. 

Discovery of America. — Just as it began to grow 
licrht, the boom of a cannon on the Puita told that some 
one there had sighted land. Sails were furled and 
all was busde and excitement on the three ships. 
No one doubted any longer that one of the greatest 
discoveries in the history of the world had been made. 
As the sun appeared above the horizon, all saw a lovely 
island spread out before them, It belonged to the Ba- 
ha'mas, which Columbus named San Salvador, meaning 
Holy Saviour. The land first seen is believed to have 
been Wading Island. 

Columbus had no doubt it formed a part of India, 
so he called the people Indians, (ind'yans). The timid 
creatures peeped out from among the trees and flowers 
and thought the white men were beinors that had come 

o o 

down from the sky. They looked upon the ships as 
huofe birds whose wines were sails. 

How thankful and happy Columbus must have felt 
when he put on his grand scarlet uniform and, stepping 
into a small boat, was rowed ashore. As soon as he 
rested his foot on solid eround, he raised the standard 



Cbristopbcc Columbus. 25 

of Spain, and, throwing himself on his knees, bowed 
his head and gave thanks to God for the success of his 
voyage. 

The Indians told him by signs that other lands lay 
to the south and, after a brief rest, he sailed that way. 
He saw a number of islands, among them Cuba, which 
he looked upon as part of the mainland of India. The 
Santa Maria struck on the coast of Hayti, which island 
is also known as His-pan'i-o'la and San Domingo. 
From the timbers of the wreck a fort was built and 
thirty-five men were left to found a colony. 

The Return of Columbus to Spain. — Columbus 
hurried back to Spain with the news of his great dis- 
covery. He arrived in the harbor of Palos, Friday, 
March 15, 1493. Thus you will notice that he left Spain 
on a Friday, and discovered America and reached Spain 
on the same day of the week. Columbus could not 
have had the foolish fear of that day which is shown by 
some people. 

What a proud hour that was for the discoverer of 
the New World ! He had been called a fool and a 
crazy person, and the weeping mothers and wives, who 
watched their sons and husbands sail away over the 
'' Sea of Darkness," gave up all hope of ever seeing 
them again. But here they were, bringing with them 
several Indians and productions from that wonderful 
land beyond the sea. 

The grand reception was held at Barcelona (bar'- 
sa-lo'nah) in the month of April. Many noted people 



26 Cbrietopber Columbus. 

rode out to meet the greatest man of the age, and 
flocked at his heels as he entered the city. At the head 
of the procession paraded the Indians, their faces 
smeared with paint and their long, straight, black hair 
ornamented with bright feathers, and their bodies with 
figures of gold. Then were borne parrots, brilliant birds, 
some alive and some stuffed, most of them of a species 
of which little was known. Columbus, riding on horse- 
back, came next, escorted by a cavalcade of cavalry. 
The people swarmed everywhere. The roofs were 
black with cheering crowds. Columbus, with his hair 
and beard as gray as those of a patriarch, wore a look 
of calm dignity that well became the grandeur of his 
triumph. 

The king and queen received him under a canopy 
of brocade of gold. They rose to their feet when he 
appeared with a faint smile on his venerable features. 
Columbus knelt and beorored that he miorht kiss their 
hands. They hesitated as if he was too noble a man 
thus to humble himself, but allowed him to do so. Then 
they asked him to sit down and tell them his story. It 
was a marvelous history which the proud discoverer 
gave to his royal listeners, whose hearts were deeply 
stirred. They bestowed the highest honors upon him, 
whose discovery caused the greatest interest throughout 
the civilized world. 

But misfortunes now came to Columbus. He 
washed to sail on another voyage of discovery and the 
king and queen gave him a large fleet. He first called 



Cbristopbcr Columbus. 27 

at Hispanlola to learn how the colony that he had left 
there were getting on. Sad to say, not one of them 
was alive. They had treated the Indians so badly that 
the latter killed every one. It seems as if, from the 
first, the settlers in the New World took the wrong 
course with the natives. 

Death of Columbus. — Columbus was a great 
discoverer, but a poor governor. He did not know how 
to manage the bad men placed under him. On his third 
voyage he discovered the O'ri-no'co River and thus saw 
the continent of America for the first time. An officer, 
sent out to look into the complaints against his manage- 
ment of affairs in America, sent him home in irons. On 
his fourth voyage, he explored a part of the Isthmus of 
Darien, lying between North and South America. 
When he returned to Spain for the last time, his health 
and spirits were broken. He died May 20, 1506. He 
believed to the last that he had discovered only the 
eastern part of Asia, instead of a new continent. His 
comrade, Amerigo Vespucci (a-ma-re'go ves-pootch'ee), 
is believed to have sailed along the coast of North 
America about the year 1497, and was, therefore, the 
first navigator to look upon this continent. The 
accounts which he printed of his voyages caused it to 
be named in his honor, though Columbus will always be 
looked upon as the true discoverer of our country. 

Tell in your own words what you have learned about : 

The birthplace of Columbus ; his boyhood ; the sailors of 



28 



Cbristopber Columbus. 



Norway ; the life of Columbus as a sailor ; his efforts to secure 
help for his expedition ; how he succeeded ; the westward voy- 
age ; his great discovery ; his subsequent voyages ; his death ; 
Amerigo Vespucci. • 




II. 

DE SOTO. 

No'ble-man, a person of the highest rank. Strait, a narrow pas- 
sage. Pass, a passage. Am-bass'a-dor, a person sent out 
to represent a ruler or government. Treach'er-6us-ly, in a 
manner that breaks a promise. Con'quer-ed, gained by 
force. Pal'i-sades, strong stakes driven into the ground. 
Har'ass-ed, annoyed. Sur-viv'ors, those left alive. Fit'- 
ting, fit, proper. Gaunt, lean. 

HERNANDO DE SOTO was a Spaniard, born 
about the year 1496. He belonged to a noble 
family, but it was so poor that a rich nobleman 
named Davila sent him for several years to one of the 
universities of Spain. De Soto showed much abiUty 
and was noted for his skill in athletic sports. 

When Davila sailed on his second expedition to 
Darien, of which he was governor, he took De Soto 
with him. Davila was so cruel that De Soto opposed 
his measures and finally left his service. Having heard 
of a strait which connected the Atlantic and Pacific, De 
Soto explored the coast of Guatemala (gwah'te-mah'la) 
and Yu'ca-tan' for seven hundred miles in search of it. 
He joined Pizarro, who in 1532 set out to conquer Peru. 

One day De Soto and a number of horsemen 

31 



32 Be Soto. 

started to explore the highlands of that country. The}^ 
made their way through a pass in the mountains and 
discovered the great national road which leads to the 
capital of Peru. Some time later, De Soto was sent as 
an ambassador to the inca or ruler of Peru. The cruel 
Pizarro made this inca a prisoner, but promised to set 
him free for an immense lot of gold and jewels. They 
were gladly brought to Pizarro by the natives, but he 
refused to let the inca go. De Soto urged Pizarro to 
keep his promise, but he would not and treacherously 
put his prisoner to death. 

De Soto acted bravely in the different batdes. 
When he went back to Spain he was very rich and was 
received with the highest honors by the king. There 
was a belief at that time that Florida contained vast 
amounts of gold. De Soto asked permission to conquer 
the country at his own expense and the king consented. 
De Soto sailed with nine vessels and nearly a thousand 
men. He anchored in Tampa Bay in the month of May, 
1 539. The ships were sent to Cuba with orders to obtain 
provisions and then to come back after the explorers. 

De Soto, like most of the Spaniards, was cruel 
toward the Indians. His men could have had all the 
food they wanted by asking or paying for it, but he 
seemed to think the right course for soldiers was to 
fio^h't whenever the chance offered. Even that did not 
always bring them food. His men suffered so much 
that they begged De Soto to give up the expedition 
and turn back, but he would not do so. 



5)e Soto. 35 

They found nothing of the gold for which all were 
looking. In the autumn, they reached a native town 
called Mavilla. The city and river of Mobile take their 
names from this Indian word. The place was sur- 
rounded with palisades and the natives were ready to 
fight in its defence. Before -long one of the soldiers 
started a quarrel and five of his companions were killed. 
De Soto then led an assault on the town, which resulted 
in the death of two thousand Indians by fire and suffo- 
cation. He stayed a few weeks in the neighborhood 
and then marched to the Yazoo River, where the winter 
was passed. The Indians harassed them all the time. 
When spring came, the Spaniards took up their march 
again. They slanted off to the northwest corner of the 
present State of Mississippi. Thus De Soto discovered 
that great river in 1541. 

We have no knowledge of how far the expedition 
penetrated. It probably reached the site of Litde Rock, 
the capital of Arkansas (ark'an-saw'). For three years 
the Spaniards wandered through the wilderness, during 
which one-third of the men and most of the property 
were lost. Finally De Soto became disheartened and 
with the survivors set out to find his way back to the 
sea. 

By this time the hardy explorer was worn out. 
Feeling that he must die, he called his men around him, 
begged their forgiveness for any wrong he had done 
them and then closed his eyes in death. The Spaniards 
mourned his loss, but believed it would never do to let 



36 2)e Soto» 

the Indians know their leader was dead, for he had 
made them think he was a son of the Sun and would 
never pass away. So in the darkness of night, when 
everything was still, the body of De Soto was placed in 
a small boat, which was silently rowed out to the middle 
of the river. The form was wrapped about with 
blankets weighted with heavy stones. Then it was 
crently lifted over the side and sank out of sight forever. 
It seems fitting that the man who discovered the Mis- 
sissippi should find his last resting-place in that river. 

Now that the expedition had no leader, it went to 
pieces. Only a few, gaunt, starving survivors found 
their way many months afterward to a Spanish colony 
on the coast, where they received the care which they 
sorely needed. 



Tell in your own words zvhat you have learned about : 

De Soto; Davila; De Soto's visit to the coast of Guatemala 
and Yucatan; of Pizarro ; De Soto's expedition to Florida; his 
expedition into the interior ; his death and burial. 



III. 

HENRY HUDSON. 

Daunt'less, bold. In-struc'tions, orders, commands. Shal'low, 
having little depth. Ro-man'tic, marked by novelty or 
strangeness. Pict'ur-esque, like a pleasing picture. Rhine, 
a river in Germany noted for its romantic scenery. 
Codrt'e-sy, polite kindness. Land-locked, inclosed by land. 
For'ti-fied, put in a condition of defence. Di§'mal, gloomy. 
Shal'lop, a large boat with two masts. Ma'ti-nous, dis- 
posed to rebel. 

I SUPPOSE you know all about the Hudson River. 
If you w^ill look at your map, you u^ill see in the 

northern part of the Dominion of Canada a large 
bay and a strait called Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait. 
These two and the Hudson River were named in honor 
of the same man and I have a strange story to tell you 
about him. 

Henry Hudson was born about 1550 and was first 
employed by a company of London merchants to search 
for a northwest passage to Asia. That vain hunt en- 
gaged many navigators for more than a hundred years 
after the discovery of Columbus. Hudson was a 
dauntless sailor, who set out in so small a boat, in 1607, 
that his crew numbered only ten men and a boy. He 

37 



ss 1benri2 IbuDson. 

coasted along the eastern shore of Greenland until the 
ice stopped him. After sailing here and there for three 
months longer, he returned to England. 

He tried it again the next year, hoping to pass be- 
tween Nova Zembla and Spitzbergen, but as before 
was turned back by the ice. He then entered the ser- 
vice of the Dutch East India Company and in April, 
1609, sailed from Amsterdam on his third attempt to 
find a northwest passage. He was told this time to sail 
to the northeast instead of the northwest. The name 
of the little vessel was the //a/f Moon. 

Following his instructions, Hudson in due time 
found himself caught agfain in the ice near Nova Zem- 
bla. He was forced to disobey orders, and, coasting 
along the eastern shore of Greenland, passed Newfound- 
land and it is believed dropped anchor at the mouth of 
the Penobscot. He sighted Cape Cod and named it 
New Holland, not knowing that it had already been 
named by other navigators. Arriving at Chesapeake 
Bay, he found the English settlers ahead of him. 
Then he turned about and entered Delaware Bay. The 
water there was too shallow to suit him, so he steered 
northward and, September 3, 1609, dropped anchor at 
Sandy Hook. 

He stayed there for a week, during which time his 
crew made several visits to the land and traded with the 
Indians. Then the anchor was raised and he slowly 
sailed up the noble river which bears his name. It was 
the first time that stream was ever visited by a white 



Dents IbuOson. 



39 



man, though the bay had been seen by other navigators. 
With what wonder Hudson and his crew o-azed on the 
Pahsades and Highlands ! The scenery of the Hudson 
is so romantic that it is often called the Rhine of 
America. 

The In- 
dians, too, 



have 
like 
who 
upon 




must 
felt 
those 
looked 
the caravels 
of Columbus " 
more than a 
hundred, 
years before. 
They peeped 
out from the i 
woods and 
around the 
t o w e r in g 
rocks along 
shore and 

wondered what strange bird with its immense wings was 
swimming up the river. It seems odd that Hudson ex- 
pected to ascend the stream till he reached the South 
Sea. The narrowing shores and the shallowness and 
freshness of the water, however, soon told him he 
would never be able to find India by that route. 



HENRY HUDSON. 



40 U^enrg "ff^uOson. 

He sailed northward for ten days and reached a 
point opposite where Albany now stands. Before going 
that far, some Indians paddled out in their canoes to the 
Half Moon. Hudson treated them kindly and they 
came on board. Near the present site of Hudson, he 
went ashore and called on an old chief, who showed his 
visitors great courtesy. You will understand that this 
visit of Hudson gave Holland the claim to New York, 
because he was in the employ of the Dutch East India 
Company. 

Hudson never visited the river named for him 
again. His discovery added greatly to his fame and 
England decided to make one more attempt to reach 
Asia by sailing to the northwest. The expedition was 
put in charge of Hudson, who set out in 1610, with a 
crew of twenty-three men, among whom was his son. 

It was on this voyage that he discovered the strait 
and bay which bear his name. When he sailed Into the 
immense and broadening sheet of water, he was sure that 
at last he had found the lone-souorht route to the Pacific. 
But to his disappointment, he soon discovered that he 
had entered a land-locked bay and could go no further 
westward. 

He made his preparations to pass the winter in the 
southern part, hoping to continue his explorations in the 
spring. He ran his small vessel into a creek and his crew 
fortified themselves as best they could against the rigors 
of the fierce winter In one of the most dismal reofions 
of the globe. The ship was frozen fast, the snow 



Ibenrg IbuOsom 43 



whirled and eddied about them and fell to a o-reat 
depth. Their provisions ran low, and they saved them- 
selves from starving- by hunting wild fowl, which now 
and then visited the desolate shores. 

Spring found the explorers In a woful plight, but, 
instead of hastening from the place, Hudson determined 
to push his researches further. He had no thought of 
turning back. He fitted up his shallop, but was gready 
disappointed when the natives refused to have anything 
to do with him. No food could be obtained and Hud- 
son shed tears as he divided his last meal with his crew. 

It is thought by some that he told his men he would 
have to leave several of them behind. Be that as it 
may, they became mutinous and one dark night entered 
the cabin and bound and put him on board a small boat. 
The mutineers compelled seven others, among them 
four sick men and the navigator's son, to go with him. 
The carpenter Insisted on sharing the fate of his com- 
mander and was allowed to do so. Then the boat was 
turned adrift in the lonely waters and was never heard 
of again. Like De Soto, Henry Hudson found his grave 
in the body of water which he was the first to discover. 



Tell in your ozvn words wJiat you have learned about : 

The first voyage of Henry Hudson ; his second voyage ; 
his third voyage to the north ; to the south ; his voyage up the 
Hudson River ; his last attempt to find a northwest passage ; 
his winter in the north ; his fate. 



IV. 
JOHN SniTH. 

Ap-pren'tice, one bound to another to learn a trade. En-list'ed, 
engaged in public service. Des'per-ate, furious, frantic. 
Thresh'ing, beating out grain from the straw. Flail, an 
instrument for threshing grain. Hov'els, small mean 
houses. Stern, severe in look and manner. Gaud'y, fine, 
showy. In-te'ri-or, the inside. Must'y, mouldy, sour. 
Out-wit'ted, surpassed in cunning. Lodge, an Indian 
dwelling. Pin'naces, small vessels. 

DO YOU know any boy named John Smith ? It is 
said that one day at a large meeting the gen- 
tleman in charo^e rose to his feet and called out 
that he had just been handed a telegram for " Mr. 
Smith." Nearly fifty people stood up to let it be 
known their name was Smith. The ofentleman looked 
at the envelope and added: ''This is for John Smith." 
Then about a dozen of those that v^ere standinof sat 
down. I remember counting more than a hundred 
"John Smiths" in the directory of a large city. So 
that name is more common in our country than any 
other. I am going to tell you about the most famous 
John Smith that ever lived. 

I must warn you in the first place that this John 

(44) 



5obn Smitb. 45 

Smith, although brave, enterprising, and with the best 
of sense, had one fault : he bragged a good deal about 
what he had done and told of so many adventures that 
there is reason to fear some of them were not true. 
He was born in England and was the son of poor 
parents. When an apprentice, he ran away and en- 
listed in the army. Then his adventures began and he 
had a hard time of it. He was robbed of all he had, 
which was not much, was shipwrecked, and he said that 
once the crew came to believe that he brouorht them 
bad luck, so they pitched him overboard. He was a 
good swimmer, however, and easily reached shore. 

Then he went back in the army, which set out to 
fight the Turks. He had a desperate battle with three 
and killed them all, but was finally taken prisoner. The 
Turks are a cruel people and they made their captive 
toil and drudge like a slave. A metal collar was put 
around his neck and he was set to threshino" wheat with 

o 

a flail. His master sat near watchinor him at work. 
Smith was so angry because of his harsh treatment that 
he swunor his flail around and brouo-ht it down on the 
head of the Turk with so much force that it killed him. 
He knew he would be put to death if caught, so he 
snatched up a bag of wheat, leaped upon his master's 
horse, and rode off as fast as the animal could go. He 
managed to get out of Turkey and found his way back 
to England. 

He arrived just as the people were making ready 
to send a number of settlers to America. This offered 



46 S^obn Smitb. 

so fine a prospect for adventure that Smith joined them. 
Three vessels sailed in the winter of 1606, with one 
hundred and five men, but no women. In the month of 
April following, the ships entered the mouth of James 
River and sailed slowly up stream, looking for the best 
place to land and begin a settlement. It was the most 
lovely season of the year. Bright flowers bloomed on 
the banks, the air was soft and balmy, and to the tired 
people it was like entering some fair and promised land. 
They went ashore May 13, 1607, and set to work 
clearing the land and building log cabins. They 
named the place Jamestown and it was the first per- 
manent or lasting English settlement in the New 
World. 

The settlers were in a bad way. Nearly all their 
food was eone and it was too late in the season to 
plant crops. The Indians were hostile and killed one 
man and wounded nearly twenty others. They did not 
mean that the strangers should steal their hunting- 
grounds from them. They prowled around the settle- 
ment and fired their arrows at them whenever they got 
a chance. Nearly all the settlers fell ill and at the end 
of a few months half of them were dead. The others 
duor holes in the ground and lived in them or in 
wretched hovels. It looked as if Jamestown would 
soon cease to exist. 

A good many of the people did not like John 
Smith. I suppose he was too stern and bragged too 
much to suit them, but they could not fail to note his 



5obn Smitb. 



47 



courage and good sense. They begged him to take 
hold of matters. He did so and straightway the con- 
dition of the sufferers beo^an to mend. 

Smith started with one good rule. He declared 




CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. 



that no well person should have any food until he 
earned it. Those that were too lazy to work might 
starve, for they would not be fed by the rest. He set 
the example by working as hard as he could. A 
number of log cabins and a fort were built. 



48 5obn Smitb. 

Still there "was sore need of food. So Captain 
Smith with a few of his men went up the Chesapeake 
Bay in an open boat and traded gaudy trinkets with the 
Indians for corn, pumpkins, dried nuts, berries and 
different kinds of o^ame. Sometimes the Indians were 
friendly and sometimes they launched their arrows at 
the white men. Smith, however, was shrewd enough to 
secure a goodly quantity of food and thus saved the 
settlers from starvation. 

Although more than a hundred years had passed 
since Columbus discovered America, everybody believed 
it was a narrow strip of land, and that one would not 
have to gfo far into the interior before finding the Pacific 
Ocean. So when Smith sailed up the Chick'a-hom'i-ny 
River, he kept a sharp watch for the largest body of 
water on the orlobe. If he had known it was three 
thousand miles off, he would have smiled at his mistake. 

One day, while hunting for the South Sea, he as- 
cended with his boats to the headwaters of the James. 
Findinor he could cro no further with his larofe craft, he 
Stepped into a canoe, barely large enough to float him 
with two other white men and two friendly Indians. 
He told those left behind to stay in their boats and not 
to land till he came back. They did not obey him and 
were attacked by Indians, who killed two of the white 
men. Then the Indians found out where Smith's canoe 
had gone ashore. 

The American Indians can track a person through 
the woods like a bloodhound. No matter how lightly he 



5obn Smltb. 49 

steps on the leaves, passes round soft places and tries 
not to disturb the bushes, they will detect the signs 
which he cannot help making. The only way to elude 
those keen eyes is to enter a boat or walk in the water, 
where no trail is made. 

Smith was not on his guard as he should have 
been. He wished to do some huntinor and became 
separated from his companions. The next thing he 
knew the woods behind him swarmed with Indians, who 
shouted and began sending their arrows whizzing at 
him. Smith kept cool. Facing about, he fired his gun 
among them and a warrior dropped to the ground. 
As soon as he could reload and secure a eood aim, he 
brought down another Indian. All this time he was 
walking backward, watching the red men whooping and 
darting here and there and shooting their arrows at 
him. He had no time to look where he was o-oino- and 
it did not seem to him that it made any difference. 
Suddenly he stepped into a spongy place and sank to 
his knees. He struggled hard to get out, but went 
down deeper in the mud. The Indians seeing his 
plight crowded round him. 

Smith threw away his gun and extended his hands 
for them to help him. They pulled him out of the bog 
and he acted as if he thought them his friends. He 
took out a small pocket-compass and showed it to the 
Indians, who opened their eyes in astonishment. Some 
of them timidly tried to touch it with their fingers, but 

4 



50 5obn Smitb, 

the glass covering prevented. That, too, was wonderful, 
for until then they had never seen glass. 

Smith, however, had killed two of the Indians and 
they were not likely to forget It. but when some of them 
proposed to put him to death, the others forbade. 
They fed him so well that he half suspected they were 
fattening him for a big feast. He did not let the fear, 
however, disturb his appetite. After a time he was 
taken before the great war chief Pow-hat-an', who lived 
about fifteen miles from Jamestown. This chief said 
that Smith must be put to death. 

His hands and leors were bound and he was laid on 
his back with his head resting on two laree stones. 
Then a warrior swung his club aloft, but before he 
could bring It down, the chief's little daughter Poca- 
hontas (Po-ca-hunt'as) ran forward, threw her arms 
about the neck of the prisoner and begged her father 
to spare him. He consented and Smith was set free. 
After a time he made his way back to Jamestown, having 
been absent about six weeks. 

This is a very nice story, which It would never do 
to leave out of an account of Captain John Smith, but 
it must be remembered that he never told a word of it 
on coming back to Jamestown, nor did he mention it at 
all until after he had returned to England, and Pocahon- 
tas had been dead several years. For that and other 
reasons it Is more than likely the whole story is a myth. 

Other settlers arrived from England, and James- 
town began to prosper. Captain Smith had done so 



5obn Smitb, 51 

well that he was kept at the head of affairs for some 
time. He claimed to have explored Chesapeake Bay 
for many hundred miles. This must be true, for he 
made a map of the waters which was remarkably cor- 
rect. 

One day, while on the Potomac, he was stung by a 
poisonous fish. It made him so ill that his companions 
were sure he must die, and began digging a grave for 
him. But the tough fellow got well, and had his re- 
venge by cooking the fish and eating him. 

Some time afterward, he took fifteen men and set 
out to call on a chief, living not far from Jamestown, 
his purpose being to buy food. When the chief ap- 
peared it was at the head of a large body of warriors. 
He brought a small quantity of corn which was too 
musty to be used. Smith saw^ the chief meant mischief. 
He turned to his men and told them their danger. " If 
you break or show the least fear," he whispered, " every 
one of us will be killed. Our only hope is in standing 
too^ether, and not lettinof them see we hold them In 
dread." His companions promised to do as he advised. 

Smith now turned to the chief and dared him to 
fight. He offered to set his lltde company of men 
against all the warriors. If the latter won they were to 
have the copper which the Englishmen had brought with 
them. If the Indians were defeated, the white men 
were to be given all the corn they wanted. An Indian 
does not like to fight openly, and the chief backed out. 
He declared he was a friend of the white people, and 



52 5obn Smitb* 

would do them any favor he could. Smith was not 
deceived by this talk, but he came near being outwitted 
after all. 

He walked into the lodore of the chief to talk with 
him. While doing so, he noticed the Indians gathering 
round and making ready to use their bows and arrows. 
Smith bounded forward, caught the scalp-lock of the 
chief with one hand, pressed the muzzle of his pistol 
against his breast with the other, and dragged him out 
among his warriors. He told them that if they at- 
tempted to harm him or any of his men, he would shoot 
the chieftain dead, and kill all the rest. He said he 
wished to be their friend, and would pay them a fair 
price for whatever they had to sell. This brought the 
Indians to their senses, and they let their visitors have 
what corn they needed. 

While sitting in his boat one day, a bag of gun- 
powder accidentally caught fire. In the explosion^ 
Smith was so badly burned that the only way to save 
his life was to go back to England for medical treat- 
ment. That was in 1609, and he never returned to 
Virginia. 

You have only to be told what followed to under- 
stand how useful a man he was to the colony. The 
winter of 1609-10 is known in the history of Virginia as 
the " Starving Time." Of the five hundred whom Smith 
left behind, all except sixty died within the following six 
months. The survivors in despair decided to try to 
reach Newfoundland, where it was hoped they would be 



Sobn Smltb. 53 

able to get help from the English fishermen. The gaunt 
settlers tottered on board two pinnaces and reached 
the mouth of the river, when, to their surprise and joy, 
they met several vessels with an abundance of provis- 
ions and supplies. They gladly returned to Jamestown, 
which was never again in so sorry a plight. 

Although Captain Smith did not visit Virginia 
again, he sailed on a voyage to New England in 1614. 
He traded along shore with the Indians, and made a 
good map of the coast. He tried to get the English to 
plant a colony in that part of the country. The attempt 
was made, but failed. Smith had hardly started when 
his vessel was wrenched, and he had to put back and 
change it for a smaller one. He was chased first by a 
pirate, and then by a French ship. After escaping these 
he was captured by some French privateers. While he 
was on the deck of one of them, his own crew, who were 
sick of the idea of settling in New England, ran away 
with his vessel and sailed home, leaving Smith with the 
Frenchman. He was a prisoner several months, and 
helped to fight against the Spanish, but his captors 
excused him from firing upon his own countrymen. He 
finally found his way back to England, where he died in 
1 63 1, at the age of fifty-two years. 



Tell in your own words zvJiat you Jiavc learned abont : ■ 

The name of John Smith ; the most famous of John 
Smiths ; his adventures among the Turks ; the voyage of the 
first EngHsh settlers in America ; the settlement of Jamestown ; 



54 



5obn Smitb* 



the misfortunes of the settlers ; the services of John Smith as a 
ruler; his voyage up the Cheaspeake ; his ascent to the head- 
waters of the James ; the story of Powhatan and Pocahontas : 
the reasons for doubting its truth ; his exploit with an Indian 
chief; the explosion of gunpowder; the history of the colony 
after his departure ; his last adventures. 




V. 
MILES STANDISH. 

Per'se-cu'tion, vexed or injured. Established Church, a rehgious 
faith which the people are taxed to support. Drilling, the 
act of training soldiers. Stack'ed, piled in a conical form. 
Sen'ti-nel, a soldier set to watch. Sneer'ed, jeered or 
scoffed at. Pros'per, to thrive. Strong'hold, a fortified 
place. 

IN THE story of John Smith you have learned 
that the first permanent English settlement in this 
country was in Virginia, in 1607. Thirteen years 
later the second English setriement was made at Ply- 
mouth Bay, in Massachusetts. It was due to religious 
persecution. The people who withdrew from the estab- 
lished church were called Separatists, while those who 
remained members and sought to reform the church 
were nicknamed Puritans. Those who came to America 
have been called Pilgrims, on account of their wanderings. 
One hundred and two of them, consisting of men, 
women and children, sailed from their native country in 
the Mayflower. After a long and stormy voyage, they 
sighted the bleak lands of Cape Cod, in November, 
1620. Dropping anchor. Captain Miles Standish went 
ashore with sixteen men to find out whether the place 

(55) 



56 /iRiles StanDisb. 

was a suitable one for a settlement. The men wore 
their armor, for they expected to be attacked by Indians. 
The red men, however, kept out of their way. 

While tramping along the coast, the Englishmen 
came upon a place where the ground showed something 
had been buried. Digging down, they found a number 
of baskets filled with Indian corn. This was fortunate, 
for the pioneers wanted corn for planting as well as for 
food; but they could see nothing of the owners. Stan- 
dish took a part of the corn and did not forget the debt. 
Six months later he met the owners and paid them. 

Captain Miles Standish was the most interesting 
person that came over in the Mayflower. He was not 
a member of their church, but he liked the ways of the 
Pilerims and was of orreat service to them. His work 
in the New England colony was similar in some respects 
to that of John Smith in Virginia. 

Standish was like a game-cock, hot-tempered, full 
of pluck and ready to fight at any moment. He was a 
small man with a yellow beard, but he would fly at a 
giant if he provoked him. He was not afraid of any- 
body. His bravery and skill led the Pilgrims to put 
him in charge of all military matters, for you must not 
forget that the early setders of New England believed 
in fighting as well as praying. 

Cape Cod did not suit the Pilgrims and they looked 
further. Finally they landed at Plymouth, December 
21, 1620, in the midst of a blinding snow storm. They 
set to work to build dwellines and to make themselves 



/Iftiles StanNsb, 57 

comfortable, but their lot was a trying one from the first. 
The weather was. intensely cold and before spring half 
the people died. There came a time when only seven 
persons, among them Miles Standish, were well enough 
to look after the sick and dying. Still no one thought 
of giving up. 

One day in spring, when the gaunt settlers were 
planting corn, an Indian walked out of the woods and 
called : " Welcome, Enorlishmen ! " The w^hite men 
w^ere astonished to hear a native use their language. 
The name of their visitor was Sam'o-set. He had 
picked up a few words of English from some fishermen 
on the coast of Maine. The settlers treated him so well 
that by and by he brought his chief, Mas'sa-soit', to call 
with him. He, too, was used kindly and made a treaty 
of peace which was not broken for fifty years. 

But the Nar'ra-gan'sett Indians did not like the 
English. They were a powerful tribe, numbering sev- 
eral thousand warriors. Their chief thought he would 
scare the settlers by sending them a bundle of arrows, 
wrapped round with a rattlesnake's skin. This was a 
declaration of war. Governor Bradford filled the snake 
skin with powder and bullets and sent it back. The 
Narragansett chieftain knew what that meant and de- 
cided to leave the white men alone. The Indians held 
their firearms in crreat fear. 

When the New^ England, pioneers heard of the In- 
dian massacres in Virginia, they thought the red men 
around them would try to do the same thing. So Captain 



58 /Iftiles StanMsb. 

Standish was set to work drilling the settlers and a 
close watch was kept every night. It must have looked 
stranofe to see cannon mounted on the roof of the meet- 
ing house and the people going to church on Sunday 
with the fathers and big brothers each carrying a gun 
over his shoulder. These were stacked outside while a 
sentinel paced back and forth during the service. It 
happened more than once that the preacher in the mid- 
dle of his long sermon was stopped by the whoops of 
the Indians and the whizzing of their arrows. The good 
man was sure to be among the first to rush out and help 
beat back their assailants. 

One day Massasoit told the Pilgrims the Indians 
had planned to kill all the people in another settlement 
not far off, after which they intended to massacre the 
Plymouth settlers. Captain Standish called a few of his 
most trusty men together and hurried off to the other 
colony. Had he taken a large number with him, the 
Indians would have known his purpose, but they did not 
believe he would dare attack them with so small a 
force. 

A big warrior looked down on the little captain and 
sneered at his size. Not only did he do that, but he 
uttered insulting words which made the peppery captain 
furious. He could never stand any slurs on his stature 
or courao^e. He snatched the knife that was tied round 
the Indian's neck, while his companions attacked the 
other warriors. Standish had a fearful struggle with 



/Ilbilee StanMsb. 59 

the savage, but succeeded in killing him, while his men 
slew the others. 

After a time the colony prospered. Colonists be- 
gan coming over from England. In 1628, a settlement 
was begun at Salem. Two years later Boston was 
founded and became the capital of the province. Be- 
tween 1630 and 1640, twenty thousand people settled 
in Massachusetts. Miles Standish, who had done such 
good service for the pioneers, died in 1656. 

I am sorry to tell you that, although the Pilgrims 
came to America to gain the right to worship God as 
they thought right, they were not always willing that 
other folks should do the same. They persecuted the 
Quakers and put four of them to death. They drove 
out Roger Williams because his preaching was too 
plain for them. In 1692, the people in Salem executed 
twenty people on the absurd charge of witchcraft. After 
a time these persecutions ceased and those that had 
taken part in them were sorry for what they had done. 

When Massasoit, the friendly chief, died, his son 
Philip succeeded him. He did all he could to unite the 
New England tribes against the whites. He hoped by 
that means to leave none alive in the country. 

One Sunday morning in June, 1675, when the 
people of Swansea were walking to church, they were 
attacked by Indians who killed one man and wounded 
several. The savages were finally driven off and the 
settlers hurriedly prepared for war that had thus begun. 

Learning that their old enemies, the Narragansetts> 



6o /Iftilcs StanDisb. 

were making ready to join Philip, a force of fifteen hun- 
dred attacked their stronghold in a swamp. One thou- 
sand of the Indians and two hundred of the pioneers 
were slain. The Narragansetts plundered and slew in 
every direction. Many fierce fights took place, but the 
Indians were gradually driven back and Philip fled for 
his life. He was chased into a swamp near Mount 
Hope, and, while trying to steal out, was shot dead by 
an Indian who was helping the settlers. Hostilities con- 
tinued for some months, but peace at last came to the 
settlements. Massachusetts erew to be the most 
powerful of all the New England colonies and, as you 
will learn in another place, took a leading part in bring- 
ing on the Revolution. 



Tell in your own ivords what you have learned about : 

The Separatists and Puritans ; the Pilgrims ; the voyage of 
the Mayflower ; Captain Miles Standish ; his visit ashore at 
Cape Cod; his character; the landing at Plymouth ; the suffer- 
ings of the Pilgrims; the visit of Samoset ; of Massasoit; the 
incident of the arrows and the rattlesnake skin ; the fears of an 
Indian massacre; the people at church service; the desperate 
fight of Standish and a few of his men ; the immigration from 
England ; the founding of Salem and Boston ; religious perse- 
cutions by the Puritans ; King Philip ; the attack on Swansea ; 
the attack on the Narragansett stronghold; the death of Philip; 
the growth of Massachusetts. 



VI. 
LA SALLE. 

Stays, props. Su-pe'ri-ors, higher in rank or office. Mo-nop'- 
o-ly, sole right. Cred'it-ors, those to whom money is due. 
Al-li'ance, a union. Com'man-dant', the commanding 
officer. Dis'em-bark-ed, landed. Hos'tile, in a state of 
enmity. Ex-ciir'sions, journeys, rambles. Mas'sa-cred 
(kerd), killed cruelly. Mar'tyr, one who suffers death for 
his belief. Con-ver'sion, a change of heart. 

IF YOU could have stood on the shore of the Missis- 
sippi, or any one of the Great Lakes, a little more 

than two hundred years ago, you would have looked 
upon a far different scene from that of to-day. Along 
and across those vast waters are continually speeding all 
kinds of craft, from the tiny fishing boat, the pleasure 
yacht and the puffing tug to the huge ship and steamer. 
They carry thousands of passengers and freight worth 
many fortunes. All Is activity, bustle, animation and 
life. In whatever direction you turn your eyes, you see 
these boats hurrying to their different destinations. 

But at the time of which I speak silence brooded 
over the lonely waters. The white sails of no vessel 
dotted the rivers and Inland seas. Only now and then, 
at the widely separated posts, was the face of a white 
settler seen. The waves of the Great Lakes beat 
against the wooded shores and heard no sound "save 

(6i) 



62 Xa Salle. 

their own dashings." Perhaps a tiny canoe shot out 
from the shadows and skimmed along the shore, driven 
by the paddle of an Indian, who swayed the single blade 
with power and skill. In some calm bay, a dozen or 
more of those frail craft would rest motionless or flit 
about, while the squaws and warriors and dusky boys and 
girls fished with spear and line. Sometimes the canoes 
of one tribe met those of another, and the Indians 
fought fiercely with bow and arrow and spear. Then 
days and weeks went by without a living person show- 
ing himself on the lake or river. 

Perhaps, in the darkness, some of the canoes glided 
along the bank like so many shadows. The warriors 
may have been stealing through the gloom to the village 
of their enemies many miles away, who were so watch- 
ful and alert that it would not do to make the slightest 
noise with paddle or to utter even a whisper. The 
twinkle of a light in the far-away forest or on some moun- 
tain slope, like a star shining through the night, showed 
where the white men were gathered round their camp- 
fire, or perhaps one war party was signalling to another. 

The Indians paddling about in their canoes, near 
the eastern end of Lake Erie, one August day in 1679, 
must have been astonished at what they saw. A little 
vessel, which had been built at the military post of 
Niagara, slid from her stays into the water, where she 
floated like a bird. Then, when everything was ready, 
the sails were hoisted and she sailed bravely over the 
waters to the westward. 



Xa Salie» 63 

The name of the vessel was the Griffin and she 
was in charge of CavaHer La Salle (leh saP), the greatest 
of all the explorers sent out by France. He had visited 
Canada, in 1666, when hardly twenty-three years old. 
Three years later he set out on an exploring expedition, 
but fell ill in the country 'of the Seneca Indians and 
parted with his companions near the head of Lake 
Ontario. He afterward went back to the Indian coun- 
try, made his way to the Ohio River and descended that 
stream by means of canoes to the falls opposite where 
Louisville now stands. 

La Salle won the respect of his superiors and was 
made a nobleman and governor of the country sur- 
rounding: Fort Frontenac, which he had built on the 
shore of Lake Ontario. He tore down the old structure, 
put up a new one of stone, built four vessels and soon 
had a lively trade with the Indians. He got permission 
to push his explorations westward for five years, to 
build and hold forts and to have a monopoly of trade in 
buffalo skins. The king, however, forbade him to trade 
with the Indians living near the lakes, because they 
brought their furs to Montreal and he did not wish that 
trade to be checked. 

In the Griffin La Salle sailed the whole length of 
Lake Erie and then passed through Lakes St. Clair, 
Huron and Michigan to Green Bay. He owed a large 
amount of money. So he gathered a good many furs 
and sent them back to pay his creditors. He had no 



64 Xa Salle. 

right to do this, for, as you remember, he had been 
forbidden to barter or trade with the lake tribes. 

La Salle now sent back the Gi'iffin for supplies, 
while he and a number of his men continued their ex- 
plorations in their canoes. They paddled across the 
lake to the mouth of the St. Joseph, where they estab- 
lished a trading-post called Fort Miami. Then he 
crossed to the Kankakee and went down that until he 
reached the Indian villages in the Illinois country. He 
formed an alliance with the red men and built another 
military post, where Peoria now stands. This was in 
1 680. 

The explorer now set to work to build another 
vessel and sent Father Hennepin and a small party to 
visit the country to the north. La Salle made the en- 
tire journey to Fort Frontenac alone. It took more 
than two months. He had to wade and swim streams, 
shoot game, be on the alert for wild animals and hostile 
Indians, and sleep wherever he could find shelter, 
which at best was no more than a fallen tree or some 
cavity in the rocks. When he arrived at the fort, he 
learned to his dismay that the Griffin was lost. Not 
only that, but the vessel sent from France with supplies 
had been wrecked. The plucky Frenchman, however, 
never lost courage. He made up a new party and 
started for the fort he had planted near the present town 
of Erie. He found not a white man there. The In- 
dians had driven them off and they had fled to Green 
Bay. The fort was in ruins. He and his companions 



Xa Salic* 65 

paddled down the Illinois and for the first time looked 
upon the mighty Mississippi. 

La Salle now returned to Fort Miami. In the 
depth of winter he set out on another expedition. He 
ascended the Chicago, crossed to the Illinois and de- 
scended to the Mississippi. He camped on the first 
Chickasaw bluff, stopped at the Arkansas villages and 
paddled on to the point where the river divided. He 
explored three channels to the Gulf of Mexico. In the 
month of April, 1682, he set up at the mouth of the 
Mississippi a column with the French arms and claimed 
the country for France. Returning he built Fort St. 
Louis at Starved Rock on the Illinois, and in November, 
1683, ^^^^ ^^^^ again at Quebec. He had left one of 
his officers in command with orders to meet him at the 
mouth of the Mississippi. 

La Salle now made a visit to France. He pro- 
posed to the king to undertake the conquest of the rich 
mining region of the southwest. He was given the 
authority to do so, and was made commandant of the 
country. He left France with four ships and nearly 
three hundred persons. Most of them were a bad lot, 
and trouble was certain to follow. The naval officer in 
command quarrelled with La Salle. The expedition 
stopped at San Domingo and then sailed into the 
Gulf of Mexico. They meant to enter the Mississippi, 
but through a blunder passed it. This was in January, 
1685. 

La Salle soon discovered the mistake, and urged 
5 



66 Xa Salle. 

the commander to return. He would not do so, and by 
and by they anchored off Matagorda Bay. There the 
explorer disembarked his colonists, but his largest ship 
was run on an island and wrecked. The naval officer 
pretending he must go after provisions, sailed away, 
leaving La Salle with only one small vessel, which was a 
present to him from the king. 

He built a fort and began tilling the soil. The 
Indians remembered the cruelties of former visitors, and 
were hostile from the first. They killed a number of 
the settlers, and others died from disease. La Salle 
spent a good deal of time and lost a number of men in 
making excursions through the surrounding country. 
At the end of two years, only forty persons were alive 
in his colony. Leaving half of these, including the 
women and children, in the fort, he started on the long 
journey to the Illinois. In his company were his 
brother and two nephews. 

For a long time the little party tramped onward, 
but the men were sullen and ugly. They looked upon 
La Salle as the cause of all their trouble. They had 
neither courage nor honor, and could not understand 
those qualities In others. They grumbled and plotted 
together and soon were ready to commit any crime. 

One day, when near the Trinity River, in Texas, La 
Salle missed his nephews. He turned to look for them, 
and found both had been killed. The men that had 
done it leveled their oryns and shot him dead. Mis- 
fortunes and disasters overtook the wicked persons. 



Xa Salle. 67 

They quarreled among themselves. Some reached the 
French post on the Arkansas, while nearly all of those 
left at the fort were massacred by the Indians. The 
few who survived fell into the hands of the Spanish 
forces that had been sent to drive the French out of the 
country. The fate of La Salle was a sad one, for he 
had done great service for his country, but he was by no 
means the first or last martyr. 

An important result of the French and Spanish 
explorations was the planting of missions for the con- 
version of the Indians to Christianity. Those of the 
Spaniards dotted the American coast from the Rappa- 
hannock to St. Augustine and the southwest. The old- 
est house in this country was erected by them in 1542, 
in Santa Fe (fa), New Mexico. It was built of adobe 
(a-do'ba), or sun-dried bricks, and is still standing oppo- 
site the mission of San Miguel, which is almost as old. 
A log chapel was built in St. Augustine in 1570. One 
of the mission buildings in Texas was besieged by the 
Comanche Indians for more than two years. 

The Franciscans followed on the heels of the 
Jesuits, and planted their missions widiout number 
throughout the country. They extended from Nova 
Scotia, Maine, and Quebec to the Indians In Ohio, and 
on Thunder Bay. The chain of stations reached from 
New York to Minnesota and thence southward to the 
mouth of the Mississippi. No suffering, hardship, or 
danger could check the Jesuits and Franciscans, who 



68 



Xa Salic. 



left an impress on the red men and the country which 
is seen and felt to this day. 



Tell ill your owjt ivords ivhat you have learned about : 

The appearance of the Mississippi and Great Lakes a Httle 
more than two hundred years ago ; the launching of the Griffin ; 
La Salle's first^ exploration ; his descent of the Ohio; Fort 
Frontenac ; the permission obtained from the king; his voyage 
in the Griffin ; what he did for his creditors ; his next step ; 
Fort Miami ; the Indian villages on the Illinois ; Father Henne- 
pin ; La Salle's journey to Fort Frontenac ; the news that 
awaited him there ; the fort near the present town of Erie ; his 
next expedition ; the course he followed ; what he did ; his re- 
turn to France ; his proposal to the king ; the troubles and 
blunders of the expedition ; at Matagorda Bay ; the Indians 
sufferings of the colonists ; the attempt to reach the Illinois 
what followed ; the planting of missions among the Indians 
their extent; the oldest house in the country ; the log chapel at 
St. Augustine ; the Franciscans ; the extent of their work ; the 
sacrifices of the Jesuits and Franciscans. 




VII. 
WILLIAM PENN. 

Ad'mi-ral, a naval officer of the highest rank. Quak'er, a 
member of the reHgious sect called Friends. Im-pres'- 
sions, that which is stamped on the mind. Sijr'plice, a 
white garment. Re-lent'ed, became mild. Staid, sober, 
not mild. The-oKo-gy, the science which treats of God's 
laws. Plague, a disease which spreads through the air or 
from touch. Bonds, legal writings under seal. Ap-peal'ed, 
removed to a higher court. Ev'i-dence, true testimony. 
Dic-ta'tion, command. Trus-tees', those to whom property 
is legally committed in trust. Dis-may' distressing fear. 
Treas'on, attempt to overthrow one's government. Re- 
form'ing, making better. Ar'bi-tra'tion, decision by a 
person or persons, selected by the disputing parties. 
Em'i-gra-tion, change of residence from one country to 
another. Con'sti-tu'tion, the highest law of a state or 
body of men. Char'ter, an instrument in writing, bestow- 
ing rights and privileges. 

IT SEEMS strange that the peaceful Quaker, William 
Penn, was the son of one of the most daring 
fiorhters in Enorland. But sons are sometimes 
very different from their fathers. Penn found that out 
to his sorrow before he died, as you shall learn in the 
course of this story. 

William, the only son of Admiral Penn, was born 
in London, October 14, 1644. While a boy at school, 

(69) 



70 TOlilliam iPenn. 

he received strong religious impressions and made up 
his mind that the noblest life one can lead is that of 
trying to do the whole will of God. He went to college 
while still a lad and became a Quaker through the 
influence of a preacher named Thomas Loe. He not 
only refused to worship as they did in the established 
church of England, but would not wear the surplice 
required of all the students. Penn went further. He 
and a number of young men who believed as he did, 
attacked several students in the street and tore off their 
surplices. That was going too far for the freedom of 
conscience, and Penn was expelled from college. 

When he went home, his father was so angry that 
he turned him out of doors. After a time, however, the 
parent relented, and took him back into his favor. The 
admiral had litde likinor for the staid habits of the 
Quakers, so he sent his son to France, hoping the gay 
life there would wear off his religious impressions. 
The young man gained polish of manners, but preferred 
to study theology and give his thoughts more to his 
soul than to his body. 

The father called him home when he was tw^enty 
years old and he took up the study of law. The next 
year the great plague broke out in London. This 
deepened the religious impressions of Penn, who re- 
turned to his parents. His father now sent him to 
Ireland to look after some of his estates. The son did 
this to the satisfaction of the admiral. Young Penn 
again met Loe, the preacher, and became a more ardent 



muiiam IPenn. 7i 

Quaker than before. He helped at the meetings of the 
Friends and finally was arrested for taking part in an 
unlawful assemblage. He would not give bonds and 
was thrown into prison. His father's rank caused 
friends soon to procure the release of the son. 

Admiral Penn now told William that he would not 
object to his religious belief and practices, if he would 
take off his hat to him, to the king and to the king's 
brother, the Duke of York. Penn prayed over the 
matter, but in the end replied that his conscience would 
not allow him to do what was asked. Then the father 
became more angry than before and drove him out of 
doors. The mother plead with the admiral, who consented 
to allow the son to come home. He would not meet 
him, however, and communicated with him only through 

the mother. 

William published a number of religious tracts. 
Some of these gave offence and he was imprisoned for 
nine months in the Tower of London. While there, he 
wrote his most popular work, called '' No Cross, No 
Crown." The Duke of York brought about his release. 
He went to Ireland again on business for his father and 
on his return the two became the best of friends. 
Admiral Penn died in 1670. 

Before this took place, William had been arrested 
for preaching in the streets. On the trial, the jury were 
shut up for two days and nights, without water, food or 
fire. They finally declared Penn not guilty. This so 
provoked the court that each juryman was fined and 



72 Milliam pcnn. 

put In prison. Penn and his friends were also fined 
and imprisoned for wearing their hats in the presence 
of the court. 

But Penn, although meek and peaceful, did not for- 
get his rights. He appealed to the higher court, which 
changed the decision of the lower court. This was a 
great victory, for it established the fact in English law 
that a jury is the sole judge of what is evidence, without 
any dictation from the court. 

Admiral Penn was a rich man, When he died he 
left to his son an income equal to nearly eight thousand 
dollars a year, besides a number of claims against the 
government, which was too poor to pay them. One of 
these claims amounted to eighty thousand dollars. 

In 1674 Penn was asked to decide a dispute be- 
tween two Quakers, named Fenwick and Byllinge, as to 
their rights in the New Jersey Quaker colonies. Penn 
decided in favor of Byllinge. Not long after, Byllinge 
became too poor to improve his property and turned it 
over to Penn and two creditors as trustees. Thus Penn 
became interested in the work of colonization. In 1681, 
he received a patent from the king for all the land now 
known as the State of Pennsylvania. This was In pay- 
ment of the larofe debt the kincr owed to the estate of 
Admiral Penn. 

Penn wished to name the province " New Wales," 
but decided that " Sylvania " was better. To his dismay 
the king declared It must be " Pennsylvania," In honor 
of his old friend the admiral. Penn was distressed, for 



IKIllUiam jpenn, 73 

It looked like vanity on his part. He offered the secre- 
tary twenty guineas to leave off the word " Penn " from 
the name, but the king would not permit it and so it had 
to be " Pennsylvania." In 1682, Penn, with eleven other 
Quakers, became the joint-owners of New Jersey, which 
was already a flourishing colony. 

It is a pleasure to tell what William Penn did 
in America. He gave notice that he meant to form a 
religious government. First of all, he allowed full 
freedom of conscience. He was more liberal than the 
Puritans of New England, for no person was compelled 
to attend any form of religious worship. The only 
crimes punishable with death were murder and treason. 
The leading chief-justice insisted on this law, but during 
Penn's lifetime no person was hanged in Pennsylvania. 

Here are some of the wise views of the founder of 
Pennsylvania : Prisons should be devoted to reforming 
as well as punishing criminals ; all disputes, even be- 
tween nations, should be settled by arbitration ; an oath 
is not necessary ; nor are cock-fighting, card-playing and 
drunkenness ; lying is a crime that ought to be punished 
as such. He established trial by jury and, in every case 
where an Indian was interested, ordered that half the 
jury should consist of Indians. So general was the 
faith in Penn that a large immigration to the province 
beean at once. 

Three vessels were sent out in 1681, but one was 
frozen in the Delaware, below Chester. The emigrants 
had to dig caves in the river bank, in which they lived 



74 mailUam iPenn. 

until spring. Penn arrived with a number of Friends 
and landed at Newcastle. The Dutch and Swedes had 
settled there and gave him welcome. They liked him 
so well that they asked to become a part of the province 
of Pennsylvania. Their request was granted. 

Penn met the chiefs of the Delaware, Minoo and 
other Susquehanna tribes of Indians under an immense 
elm at Shackamaxon, now known as Kensington. 
There he made a speech to them, so full of kindness, 
good will and justice that he won their hearts. He had, 
as you will remember, paid the king for the land, but he 
did not forget the rights of the Indians. A price was 
agreed upon and he not only paid it, but made numerous 
presents to the delighted red men. Then a treaty was 
signed, of which it has been said that it was the only 
treaty not sworn to and never broken. 

Penn laid out Philadelphia, which means "The City 
of Brotherly Love." It flourished so well that for a 
long time it was the leading city in America. At the 
close of the Revolution it was larger than either Bos- 
ton or New York. Penn went back to England in 1684, 
where his private business kept him until 1699. Then 
he made another visit to Pennsylvania. He found that 
Philadelphia numbered more than two thousand houses. 
He strolled through Chestnut, Arch, Vine and other 
streets, well known to-day to every one in that city. 

The province had grown so fast that Penn found 
he had little influence over it. He signed unwillingly 
the new constitution which allowed Delaware a separate 



imilltam ipenn. 75 

government. His last act was to grant a special charter 
to the city of Philadelphia. Then he sailed for England. 
Trouble now came to the good man. His eldest 
son was a drunken scamp and had spent a vast amount 
of money in riotous living. His steward swindled him 
out of so much money that Penn was ruined and liung 
into prison for debt. At last through the aid of his 
friends he was set free. While arranging to sell Penn- 
sylvania to the king, he was stricken with paralysis and 
the matter was dropped. He died in 1718. His heirs 
kept their ownership of Pennsylvania and named its 
governors until 1779, when their rights were bought for 
nearly half .a million dollars. 

Tell in your own words what yon have learned about : 

The boyhood of William Penn ; at college ; his trouble 
with his father ; what his father did to remove his rehgious im- 
pressions ; his study of law ; his persecution for being a Quaker ; 
his father's anger ; the persecution that followed ; the property 
inherited by the son ; his action as arbitrator ; how he acquired 
Pennsylvania ; how it came to receive that name ; the govern- 
ment he established; some of his views ; the three vessels sent 
out in 1681 ; what followed; the treaty with the Indians; 
Philadelphia; Penn's return to England; his last visit to Penn- 
sylvania ; the growth of the city ; what was done by Penn ; his 
last act; his trouble with his son and his steward; his death; 
what followed regarding Pennsylvania. 



VIII. 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

Trounc'ing, a severe beating. Hold, the interior cavity of a 
vessel. Fra'gal, saving. Per'i-vvig, a small wig. Cap'i-tal, 
money or stock in trade. Found'ed, established. Pre-cau'- 
tion, previous caution or care. Ag'i-tat'ed, disturbed. Et'i- 
quette' (et'i-ket'), according to the rule of rank and occa- 
sion. Con-ven'tion, an assembly of delegates or representa- 
tives. 

TT7HEN Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, in 
yY 1706, there were sixteen brothers and sisters 
ahead of him. That was a pretty large family, 
and when I add that his father was poor, and that all 
the schooling the youngest received amounted to only 
two years, you will wonder how it was he became one 
of the most famous men that ever lived. The secret of 
the matter is that, beside the gift of ability which nature 
gave him, he studied hard, wasted no time, and did all 
he could to improve his mind. 

When ten years old, he had to help his father boil 
soap and make tallow candles. He cannot be blamed 
for disliking that work, for there was nothing pleasant 
about it. He took every chance to get out of the shop 
and play with other boys. He learned to swim, grew to 

(76) 



:f5enjamln iFranftlln. 77 

be a sturdy lad and was fond of boating. He longed to 
become a sailor, but his father would not permit it. He 
and Washington had a strong leaning that way in their 
boyhood, and it was fortunate that neither carried out 
his wishes. Had they done so, the history of our country 
would have been changed. 

The father saw how restless Benjamin was, and 
feared he would run away, as one of his brothers had 
done. So he tried to interest him in other matters. 
Nothing pleased the boy so much as a book. The 
books of those times were dull, but Benjamin would 
spend hours over any one upon which he could lay 
hands. Because of this, his father apprenticed him to 
his brother James, who had a printing office. Benjamin 
was delighted, for it gave him the chance to read more 
books. He was often sent on errands to book-stores, 
where he manao^ed to borrow different volumes, of which 
he took the best care. Many a time he sat up all night 
reading them. 

He was so briorht that in a short time he learned to 
set type as well as any of the printers in the place. By 
and by he took to writing verses, and his brother allowed 
him to print and peddle them about town. They were 
like the rhyme which boys of your acquaintance some- 
times write, and which perhaps their friends praise. In 
after years, Franklin spoke of them as wretched stuff 
His father was among those who said they were not 
worth printing. 

About this time, Benjamin came to believe it was 



78 :©enjamin ifranftlin. 

wronof to eat meat. He told his brother that If he 
would give him one-half of what his board cost, he would 
board himself. This was done, and Benjamin bought a 
tart and biscuit from the baker, and with the rest of 
his money got a book. While he was putting the food 
in his mouth and using his jaws, he kept his eyes on the 
printed page. Thus he fed his mind and body at the 
same time. 

Of course he read everything in his brother's 
paper. He believed he could write as well as some of 
those whose articles were printed. He was too timid to 
tell James of his plan, but when he had something ready 
he slipped it under the door at night. It was printed, and 
he wrote other articles, all of which appeared. No one 
suspected his secret. 

It cannot be said that Benjamin was a model boy 
in all respects. He was full of mischief, which is not 
always a bad thing in a lad, if he does not carry it too 
far; but he was sometimes saucy to his brother, and now 
and then received the trouncing he deserved. 

A hundred years ago, the newspapers had to be 
careful of what they printed. If they did not, they were 
likely to get into trouble. One day James put some- 
thing in his paper which offended the government. He 
was arrested and imprisoned for a month. Young 
Benjamin took charge of the paper, and printed the 
sharpest things he could write about the government. 
He liked to see how far he dared q-q in that direction. 

When James came out of prison, he was forbidden 



JSenjamin jfranftlin. 



79 



to publish a newspaper. He therefore printed it in the 
name of his younger brother. To do this he had to set 
Benjamin free from his apprenticeship. The lad prom- 
ised to stick to his trade until twenty-one years old. 




BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

Before long the brothers quarreled again and Benjamin 
left. He thus took an unfair advantage of James, and 
years afterward said it was wrong. 

James was so angry with his brother that he sent 
word to all the printing offices in Boston not to employ 



So niScniamin ^FranftUn. • 

him. The boy went from place to place, but at each 
was met with a shake of the head. The only printing 
office in town where he could get work was his brother's, 
and he was too proud to go there. So he sold several 
of his books and set sail for New York on a sloop. He 
could get no work there, and was advised to try Phila- 
delphia. He sailed for Amboy, but the boat was caught 
in a storm, and had to anchor near the Lone Island 
shore. He lay all night in the hold with the waves 
beating over the deck and drenching him to the skin. 
When he landed at Amboy, he had not drunk nor eaten 
for twenty-four hours. 

Benjamin at that time was seventeen years old, and 
strong and resolute. He walked to Burlington, which 
is about twenty miles above Philadelphia. There he 
was allowed a seat in a rowboat on condition that he 
took his turn at the oars. He wrought hard, but 
strange to say, the boatmen rowed past Philadelphia 
without knowinor it. That was because the nieht was 
dark and the city had no street lamps. A person could 
hardly make such a mistake in these days. 

In the morning the boatmen saw they were several 
miles below the city, so they turned about and rowed 
back. When Benjamin landed, and set out to find work, 
he made a funny appearance. His clothing was badly 
soiled, and his extra shirts and stockings were stuffed in 
his pockets, which bulged out so far that many people 
laughed at him. He did not care, however, and plunged 
into the first baker's shop he saw and bought three rolls. 



aScnjamin jfranftUn. 8i 

He placed one under either arm, and ate the other as 
he walked. A crirl named Deborah Read, standino- in 
the door of her father's house, broke into laughter 
when she saw him. Some years later she became the 
wife of Franklin. 

After a time the young man got work with a 
printer named Keimer. His brightness, close attention 
and studious habits were so marked that his employer 
felt he had a prize in him. The new printer was frugal, 
strong, quick, had a mind well stored with knowledge 
and never touched beer or intoxicating drink. A lad 
of that sort is sure of success. 

One day, who should walk into the printing office 
but Sir William Keith, governor of Pennsylvania ? He 
had a gentleman with him, and both were dressed in 
the height of fashion, with powdered periwigs and silver 
knee-buckles. Keimer was delighted, and smiled and 
bowed and asked what he could do for his noble 
visitors. To his chagrin, they told him they had called 
to see a young man named Benjamin Franklin, who just 
then was setting type at his case, in shirt sleeves and 
leather breeches. 

The callers took Benjamin aside and said they had 
come to persuade him to set up a printing office of his 
own. There was no good office in the city and a fine 
opening awaited Benjamin, of whose skill they had 
heard from a number of persons. The young man 
replied he would be glad to do as they advised, but he 
had no capital and did not think his father would assist 



82 JSenjamin franklin. 

him. The orovernor was sure that a letter from him 
was all that was needed. He wrote a strong letter 
urging the father to help his son start In business. 

Full of hope, with a new suit of clothes, some extra 
money and a watch, which was a great luxury in those 
days, Benjamin went back to Boston and handed his 
father the letter from Governor Keith. The hard- 
headed old man declared that his son was too young 
to eo into business for himself and refused to o^ive him 
a penny. 

Governor Keith was one of those people who are 
ready to make all kinds of promises but slow to carry 
them out. He said he would start young Franklin 
himself. He wished him to go to London to buy a 
printing outfit and promised him letters to persons who 
would let him have all die money he needed. Benjamin 
called aofain and ao^ain on the irovernor for the letters, 
but they were never ready. At last, believing he had 
sent them in the ship's bag, he went on board and 
sailed for England. When the mail bag was opened, 
there was no letter for Franklin. A orentleman to 
whom he told his story smiled, and said no man could 
make so many promises as the governor and then 
fororet all about them. 

Franklin was in a great city where he did not know 
a person. But he was not the one to despair. He 
soon crot work and continued to store his mind with 
knowledore. His brother workmen were ereat drinkers 
of beer and ridiculed him for sticking to water. They 



JBcnjamin 3franl?ltn. 83 

said it would make him weak. He invited them to a 
test of strength and hfted more than any of them. That 
was a good lesson in temperance. 

He kept up his studious habits in London. His 
spare time was spent in the bookstores. Little did the 
people think that the young man who delighted to sit 
in some corner and study the volumes would one day 
become more famous than most of the authors from 
whom he received instruction. 

But Franklin had no wash to spend his life in 
London. He returned to Philadelphia and hired out 
as clerk to a merchant, who soon died. Then he went 
back to work for Keimer, his old employer, who found 
him more valuable than before. Franklin, however, 
had decided to go into business for himself. To do so 
he had to run heavily in debt. No man could have 
toiled harder than he. When other workmen went 
home late at night, they saw the tallow candle burning 
in Franklin's,office, and, no matter how early they rose, 
he was ahead of them. He was not ashamed to brinof 
the paper he needed to his office in a wheelbarrow. 
People noticed his industry and his custom increased. 

The next thino^ Franklin did was to start a news- 
paper. He could write well on any subject, and people 
quickly agreed that his paper was the brightest and 
most interesting in America. He married Deborah 
Read, who had laughed at him some years before, when 
he trudged throuorh the streets munchinor a roll of 
bread. He paid all his debts and began to grow rich. 



84 ^Benjamin ifranftKn. 

The most famous publication of Franklin was " Poor 
Richard's Almanac." This pretended to be written by 
Richard Saunders, a clean, sensible old man, but every 
one knew that " Poor Richard " was Franklin himself. 
The litde annual became very popular. It was full of 
witty and wise sayings, many of which are still quoted. 
They mosdy aimed at teaching thrift, economy, and the 
saving of money. It may be said that some of them 
contain a sermon in a sentence. The almanac was pub- 
lished for twenty-five years, and reached a circulation of 
ten thousand, which was enormous for those days. 

Although Franklin became wealthy, it made no 
change in his habits. He learned several languages 
without aid from any one. He started a public library 
in Philadelphia, the first of its kind in the country. 
Other towns did the same, and thus helped to spread 
knowledge among the poorer people. His mind was 
of an inventive turn. The old-fashioned fire-places 
allowed most of the heat to go up the chimney. He 
contrived a small iron fire-place or open stove that saved 
nearly all the warmth. He founded a high-school, which 
afterwards grew into a great university. He did more 
than any one to raise and arm men to march to the help 
of the people on the border who suffered from the 
Indians during the French War. 

He became greatly interested in the study of elec- 
tricity, in which Edison and others have since made so 
many astonishing discoveries. He formed the belief 
that the electricity produced by a machine is of the same 



:©enjamm ^franklin. 85 

nature as that which flashes across the sky during 
a. thunder storm The problem was, how to find out 
whether he was right. He soon hit on a plan. 

He made a kite of silk with a metal point to which 
was attached a hempen string. If his theory was right, 
the lightning would come from the metal point down the 
string. At the lower end of this string was fastened a 
key, and below that a silken cord. This was the part 
he was to hold in his hand, for silk, you know, is a non- 
conductor ; that is, electricity will not pass through it. 
But for this care on Franklin's part, the lightning might 
have darted' into his body and killed him. 

To avoid drawing attention, he sent up the kite one 
dark night when a storm was raging. He took his place 
near a shed with a lamp burning and watched the results. 
While the kite was dancing about in the darkness far up 
in the sky, Franklin closely watched the string above 
the silk cord in his hand. By and by he saw the little 
fibres agitated. Then they stood out in a way that showed 
they were charged with electricity. He reached his 
knuckle toward the key. There was a flash and a shock 
that almost knocked him over. He had made a wonder- 
ful discovery. Lightning and electricity were the same, 
and he was the only man in the world that knew it. 

When this discovery reached Europe it made a great 
sensation. Franklin at once took rank amono- the fore- 
most men of the time. Henceforth he was known as 
''Doctor Franklin." What he had learned led him to 



86 :©cniamin jfranftlin. . 

invent the lightning rod, which has saved more property 
and lives than can be estimated. 

The Revolution was at hand. Franklin was sent 
to England to try to heal the trouble. But King George 
was stubborn, and would not a yield point. So Franklin 
came back without mendinof matters. He was among- 
the leaders in aiding his countrymen in their war for 
liberty. He helped to frame the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence. If you will examine the list of signers, you 
will find the handsome sio^nature of Franklin, written 
when he was seventy years old. 

We were pressed so hard by the mighty power of 
England that we must have been conquered without 
help. Franklin went to France, which was the most 
friendly nation we had in Europe. When he appeared 
before the French court, he roused great interest. He 
was so famous that he could afford to foro^et the riorid 
etiquette of those gay times. He was dressed in the 
same plain fashion as when walking the streets of Phila- 
delphia. The French gallants and ladies were delighted 
with him and called him " the philosopher." Franklin 
knew somethinor of the French tongue, but not enough 
to follow one of the speeches in his honor, so he watched 
the others and when they applauded he did the same. 
He was amused afterward when he learned that the 
words which he had thus applauded were those that 
were complimentary to himself. The French gave arms 
and money to the Americans and helped them greatly 
in their struggle for independence. 



:fiSenjamln jfranftlln. 87 

Franklin was a member of the convention of 178?, 
which formed the Constitution of the United States. 
He died in 1790 at the age of eighty-four. His funeral 
was attended by one of the largest gatherings ever seen 
in this country, for no man, except Washington, was 
held in higher veneration than he. 



Tell in your oivii ivords ivliat yott have learned about : 

The boyhood of FrankHii ; his fondness for books ; his 
apprenticeship ; his attempt to write verses ; his notion about 
eating meat; his work as a young author; his sauciness ; the 
imprisonment of his brother ; their quarrel ; what followed ; his 
experience in New York ; his trip to Amboy : to Philadelphia ; 
his landing in that city ; Deborah Read : his employment in 
Philadelphia; the visit of Governor Keith; what came of it; 
Franklin's experience in London; his return to Philadelphia; 
how he went into business for himself: his newspaper; Poor 
Richard's Almanac ; his good works in Philadelphia; his belief 
about electricity ; his experiment with a kite ; the effect of his 
discovery ; his visit to England ; to France ; at the French 
court ; his services at home ; his death and funeral. 




IX. 
WASHINGTON. 

Mar'tial (mar'shal), relating to war. Mid'ship-man, a naval 
cadet on a ship of war. Sur-vey'ing, the art of measuring 
and marking land. Ma'jor, an officer next in rank above 
a captain. Tac-ti'cian (tish-an), one skilled in military 
science. In-va'§ion, hostile entrance into the possessions 
of another. Trib'u-ta-ries, streams flowing into another 
stream or body of water. Coun'cil, assembly for advice. 
Par'lia-ment, the law-making body of England. Rgp're- 
§ent'a-tives, bearing the authority of others. Con'ti- 
nent'als, a name given to American soldiers in the- Revo- 
lution. 

CAN you describe the boy you most admire ? I 
have no doubt that many little girls will say their 
brothers are the finest lads in the world, and of 
course they are right. But suppose I should put the 
question to those brothers. They are too modest to 
say anything about themselves, no matter how well 
they deserve it. Now let us see what kind of a boy 
we can all agree should be a model for others. 

In the first place, he must be obedient to parents 
and teachers. He must have no bad habits, such as 
using tobacco in any form. He must not swear; never 
tell a falsehood ; treat others as he himself wishes to be 

(88) 



(5eorae Wasbinston, 89 

treated; avoid the use of bad words; be a good student 
and, in short, live by the Golden Rule. 

Now, all this will do for the foundation, but you 
boys who are so fond of skating, swimming, base ball, 
foot ball, bicycling, lawn tennis, horseback riding, and 
so on will ask for something more. We like good boys 
and girls, but we wish them to be strong, rugged, 
healthy, vigorous, active, fond of sport and able to hold 
their own with any other boy, no matter if he is a little 
older and bigger. God never intended a child should 
fold his hands, do nothing but sit still and be good, and 
then perhaps die before he becomes a man. He means 
that you shall have all the innocent sport possible ; that 
your cheeks shall be ruddy; your limbs strong; that 
you may shout as loud as you choose, indulge in games 
and get all the enjoyment you can out of life. By doing 
so, you are likely to live longer and do more good than 
by shutting yourself in the house and holding aloof 
from your playfellows, through fear that they may be 
too rough and boisterous in their sports. 

Well, now I am going to tell you about just such a 
boy as the one we have agreed is the right one to serve 
as a model for all American youth. I hardly think it 
worth while to mention his name. It is on your lips 
now and your eyes sparkle as you pronounce the words 
— George Washington. Yes ; he was the boy aiid the 
man who will always hold a place in the affections of 
his countrymen, which none other can displace in all the 
years to come. 



90 ©eorge masbineton. 

The Boyhood of Washington. — George Wash- 
ino-ton was born in a bio-, old-fashioned house in 
Westmoreland county, Virginia, February, 22, 1 732. He 
had no sisters and only one brother, Lawrence, who was 
older than he. When George was a lad, our country 
was a colony of England and we followed the practices 
of the people on the other side of the Adantic. The 
English fashion is for the oldest son to be the orentleman 
of the family. The estate goes to him, and, if the father 
has any tides, they descend to the oldest son. Law- 
rence, was, therefore, sent to England to be educated, 
while George stayed at home and attended a country 
school. 

He was a good student. The teacher and all the 
boys liked him. When the lads got into any dispute, 
they asked George to decide it and he always did what 
was right. He took pains with his lessons. Some of 
his copy books have been preserved. They are free 
from blots and the handwriting is o-ood. He wrote out 
a number of rules for guidance in company, for young 
Washinorton meant to be a o-entleman at all times. 

When he was eleven years old, his father died. 
His mother gave great care to his education and he 
showed himself in every way worthy of the pains she 
took with him. Lawrence came back from England, 
and was proud of his manly young brother, who had 
grown sturdy, strong and handsome. Then, when Law- 
rence put on his fine uniform, and went off as captain 
to fight for England against the Spaniards, in the West 



©eorgc UHasblnQton. 91 

Indies, the eyes of George kindled at the sight. He 
was sure there was nothinor Hke belno^ a soldier, and he 
made up his mind to become one. 

He began drilling his playmates. He marched 
them with their wooden guns back and forth, fought 
sham battles and filled them with the same martial ardor 
as himself. Lawrence wished George to become a mid- 
shipman in the British navy and the young brother hked^ 
the idea so well that he made ready to go. But when 
about to start, he saw it grieved his mother and he will- 
ingly gave up all thought of following the sea. Had 
he not done so, what a difference it would have made in 
the history of our country ! 

When George grew to be a large boy, he astonished 
everybody by his activity and strength. He ran like a 
deer, and no lad in the neighborhood could leap as high 
or as far as he. He would stand at a certain place on 
the bank of the Potomac River and throw a stone to the 
other shore. There is not one man in a thousand to- 
day who can do the same. When he locked arms with 
a great, powerful fellow, taller than himself, for a wrest- 
ling bout, the first thing the youth standing round saw 
was the heels of the larger boy flying up in the air, as 
he plumped down on his back with George on top of 
him. 

It was a sight to see him ride on horseback. He 
was not afraid to leap upon the wildest animal, and 
without a saddle send him fiying down the road, or 
across the fields, on a dead run. One colt, of whom 



92 OcoxQC TUflasblngton. 

everyone else was afraid, seemed to have made up his 
mind to conquer the daring boy that bounded astride 
of him. George was equally bent on conquering him. 
So they fought it out. The boy won, but he killed the 
colt in doino^ so. 

Among his studies was that of surveying. He be- 
came so skillful that, when only sixteeny ears old, a rich 
. nobleman hired him to ride over the Blue Ridore moun- 
tains and survey several thousand acres of land for him. 
Washington liked that kind of life. He forced his 
powerful horse to swim rough torrents and climb the 
rugged mountains. The boy slept in the open woods 
by the side of his lonely camp-fire, with the wintry wind 
moaning through the branches and the stars shining In 
the cold sky overhead. 

Sometimes he slept in the huts of the mountaineers, 
who lived little better than pigs. One night the straw 
on which he lay caught fire, and, had he not been 
awakened in time, he would have been burned to death. 
He followed this outdoor life for three years. When in 
want of food, he would shoot a wild turkey or deer and 
cook a piece of the meat by holding it on a stick over 
the blaze. If there was no cabin or shelter near, he 
would wrap his blanket round him and lie down with his 
feet toward the fire and sleep as soundly as if in his bed 
at home. It was a o:ood training school and Washing- 
ton grew to be six feet two inches tall, with the activity 
and strenofth of a eiant. 

The nobleman who hired him to survey his immense 



©corfic Masblnflton. 93 

tract was so pleased with the way in which he did his 
work that he paid him wages which would be thought 
high even in these times. In many cases they amounted 
to twenty dollars a day. 

Washington had been home only a litde while 
when the governor appointed him a major of militia. 
The young Virginian always believed in the good rule 
that whatever is worth doinor at all is worth doino- well 
He took lessons in military drill and became a fine 
swordsman and a good tactician. 

Now' do not be starded if I tell you of a defect in 
Washington's education. There was one thing he tried 
to do and failed ; he never became a good speller. A 
person who reaches the age of eighteen or twenty with- 
out gaining this art is not likely ever to do so. If you 
examine Washington's letters, you will find a misspelled 
word here and there. So, boys and girls, the time for 
you to learn to spell is now. 

Let us see: Washington was born in 1732, so he 
became twenty-one years old in 1753. That was an im- 
portant Ume in the history of our country. France and 
England were great rivals in the setdement of the New 
World. The English setdements were all near the At- 
landc coast, while France had planted hers in Canada 
and began extending them along the Mississippi. She 
meant to build them all the way to New Orleans and to 
found a great empire in the Mississippi valley. She 
and England were certain to clash before long. France 
claimed the country west of the Alleghenies (al'Ie-ga'- 



94 (3corse Wasblnaton. 

nies) and built forts at several points. The English 
settlers put up cabins here and there in this territory 
and steadily pushed westward. Now and then, the 
English and French traders met in the woods and 
quarreled. Then the English climbed over the moun- 
tains and began trading with the Indians on the other 
side. The French stirred up the red men to drive them 
out from the rich Ohio valley. Since England had 
claimed all that country from the first, she looked upon 
the building of the French forts as an invasion of her 
territory. 

Virginia was angered by the course of the French. 
Before attacking them, the governor decided to send a 
letter to the French commander warning him to with- 
draw. He selected Major Washington to carry the 
letter. 

Now, if you will examine your map of Virginia, you 
will find the town of Williamsburo-, which was then the 
capital, in the southeastern corner, while Waterford, 
then called Le Boeuf (lehbuP), near Erie, is far up in the 
northwestern part of Pennsylvania. Thus Washington 
had to go across two large States to find the French of- 
ficer to whom he was to deliver the letter written by 
the governor of Virginia. The distance there and back 
was more than a thousand miles, and the country was a 
wild, mountainous wilderness, in which lived fierce wild 
beasts and many hostile Indians. 

Washington's Journey Through the Wilder- 
ness. — Washington left Williamsburg on the last day 



(Bcorge Ma6bin0ton» 95 

of October, 1753. He had four companions, one of 
whom was a famous hunter and guide named Christo- 
pher Gist. All were on horseback and everything was 
pleasant for a couple of weeks, when they reached the 
mouth of Will's Creek, the last of the chief tributaries of 
the Potomac from the north. There they followed an 
Indian trail which none had ever seen before. They 
climbed mountains, swam streams and threaded their 
way through the gloomy defiles until, at the end of nine 
days, they arrived at the junction of the two rivers 
which form the Ohio. Washington was quick to notice 
the military value of the place and said a fort should be 
built there without delay. 

A chief of the Delaware Indians guided the party 
across the Allegheny and twenty miles down the river 
to Logtown. The weather had become cold, with flurries 
of snow and cutting sleet in the air. At Logtown they 
came upon an Indian village. Washington called a 
council with the red men, who declared themselves 
friends of the English and promised to help drive aw^ay 
the French. The chief " Half King," and several w^ar- 
riors, agreed to go with Washington to the French post. 
There the French treated the visitors w^ell, but made no 
secret of their intention ofholdinor their orround and ex- 
pelling the English. At Presque Isle (presk eel), they 
found the French commander. He read the letter and 
wrote in his reply that he was there by command of his 
superior officers and meant to drive every Englishman 
out of the valley of the Ohio. Washington took the 



96 ©eorgc Masbiiv^ton. 

letter from the Frenchman, bade him a pohte good-bye 
and started homeward. 

The return journey was ten-fold worse than the 
former one. Winter had fully set in and the weather 
became intensely cold. At Venango the pack horses 
gave out. Washington dismounted, strapped a bundle 
on his back and he and Gist pressed ahead on foot. 
Many times, when they lay down at night, their wet 
clothing froze fast to their bodies. Sometimes, in cross- 
ing the streams, the ice broke at every step. On the 
bank of the Allegheny, they made a raft and pushed out 
among the floating masses of ice. One of these struck 
the pole against which Washington was pushing and 
flung him headlong into the river. He was a powerful 
swimmer and quickly clambered back on the raft. 
Working their way to a small island, they passed the 
night, afraid to start a fire because of the Indians. In 
the morning the ice was frozen so hard that they walked 
on it to the shore. 

They pressed an Indian into service as guide. He 
seemed to be willing and offered to carry Washington's 
rifle for him, but the young Virginian thought it best to 
keep it in his own hands. It was well he did so, for the 
Indian was a scamp. Just as it was growing dark one 
night, he raised his gun and fired at Washington when 
they were hardly fifty feet apart. He missed and began 
hastily reloading with the intention of firing again, but 
Gist had him by the throat and flung him to the earth. 
The old hunter was so enragfed he meant to kill him,. 



OcovQc 'OUaBbinston. 97 

but Washington would not permit him to do so and the 
Indian was allowed to depart. The two men safely 
reached Williamsburg about the middle of January. 

The answer brought back by Washington showed 
that the French would never leave the disputed country 
until compelled to do so. Accordingly, preparations 
were made to drive them out and the French and Indian 
War began. This proved to be the final struggle be- 
tween England and France in the New World. 

Washington in the French and Indian War. 
— When Washington was sent to take possession of the 
country, he marched toward the junction of the Alle- 
gheny and Monongahela (mo-nOn'ga-hee'la) rivers and 
sent a small company ahead to build a fort. The 
French, however, drove them away and put up a fort of 
their own, which they named Duquesne (doo-cane). 
There were a great many more French than English 
and nearly all were trained soldiers. Washington sur- 
rounded a number at night and captured most of them, 
but he was forced to retreat to a place called Great 
Meadows, where he turned at bay. His enemies were 
too powerful and made him promise to return to the 
settlements further east. Then they allowed him to go. 

The war between En o land and France havincr 
opened, England sent a large body of fine troops under 
General Braddock to help drive out the French. Brad- 
dock marched against Fort Duquesne. He and his 
soldiers were brave, but knew nothing about fighting 
Indians. They made sport of the rough Virginians, and 

7 



98 ecovQc Masblneton. 

when Washington modestly offered some advice, Brad- 
dock grave him to understand that he knew his own 
business and desired him to attend to his own affairs. 
His well drilled troops would sweep the Indians like 
chaff from their path. 

While this army was marching through the woods 
and were within ten miles of Fort Duquesne, they were 
suddenly assailed by the French and Indians, hidden 
among the trees. The forest was ablaze and the 
screeches of the red men and the roar and rattle of 
their oryns made a friorhtf'il din. The British soldiers 
were eager to fight, but could see no one to fight. They 
were shot down like sheep. Washington and his Vir- 
ginians leaped behind trees and rocks and fought as 
the Indians were fiohtino-. He called to Braddock 
to make his soldiers do the same, but that was contrary 
to the rules of warfare, and the officer held them in line 
and saw them melt under the fire as snow melts in the 
sun. 

Braddock fought bravely. He had five horses 
killed under him, his secretary was slain and both his 
aides wounded. Washington, who was serving on his 
staff, was the only one left to carry orders. It was 
strange how he escaped. The French and Indians knew 
his tall figure and kept firing at him as he galloped 
back and forth. Twice he had to leap out of the saddle, 
as his horse went down, and four bullets passed through 
his coat, but he did not receive a scratch. 

Braddock was hit several times and finally sank to 



©corgc maebington. 99 

the earth mortally wounded. Washington ran to the 

dyuig officer and bent over him. 

"What is to be done now .^ " Braddock faindy 

asked. 

" We must retreat," replied the Virginian. 

The retreat was ordered and Washington with his 

thirty surviving Americans covered the flight of what 

was left of the routed army. 

The fine record made by Washington caused him 

to be put in chief command of the Virginia troops. 

The English made litde progress for some time, but in 

1758 Washington led a force through the woods and 
drove the French out of Fort Duquesne. The fort 
was rebuilt and named Fort Pitt, from which the name 
of Pittsburg was given to the town that gradually grew 
around it. The French and Indian War ended in 1^763. 
France was beaten at all points and gave up every acre 
of land she owned in this country. 

Washington went back to his home at Mount Ver- 
non, where he would have been content to pass the rest of 
his life. He had married Mrs. Martha Custis, a beaudful 
and wealthy widow, and gave his attention to managing 
his large estates. He fished and hunted and welcomed 
every one, whether a friend or a stranger, who came to 
his door. He did not allow the poor of the neighbor- 
hood to suffer. He led the life of a hospitable vfrginia 
gentleman. 

But troublous dmes were coming. England began 
to oppress her American colonies. She taxed them 



loo ecovQc Hdasbingtom 

harshly and would not allow them to send any one to 
the English Parliament to help make laws for them. She 
acted as if trying to goad the Americans to the point of 
resisting her tyranny and she succeeded. Our fore- 
fathers lost patience under the continued oppression, 
and determined to stand it no lonorer. So, when Encr- 
land sent a big cargo of tea to Boston, for every pound 
of which she declared the colonies must pay a tax, it 
met with a reception not counted on. A number of 
Americans, painted and disguised as Indians, slipped 
aboard of the ship one night and tumbled all the tea 
into the bay. That event is known in history as the 
Boston Tea Party. All the colonies admired the pluck 
of Boston and took sides with her. 

The harsh measures of Eneland increased and the 
Americans grew more angry. Finally a Congress was 
called to meet at Philadelphia. This body was made up 
of representatives from the thirteen colonies, who came 
together to fix upon a plan of union, and, if possible, 
bring England to her senses. Washington was sent by 
Virginia as one of her representatives and Congress 
forwarded a letter to the king, demanding justice. The 
stubborn ruler, however, turned a deaf ear to the com- 
plaints and sent over a large force of troops to bring 
the rebels to terms. 

Instead of frightening the patriots, this act roused 
them to the fighting point. They were eager to begin 
the great struggle for liberty. A body of troops 
marched out from Boston to Lexington to destroy some 



(3eor0c Masbin^jton. loi 

military stores which the Americans had placed there. 
The farmers and "minute men" ran in from all directions 
and poured so deadly a fire upon the "red coats," that 
many were slain and the rest driven back in confusion 
to the city. This took place April 19, 1775, and was 
the openinor batde of the Revolution. 

Congress was still in session at Philadelphia. It 
was necessary to have a leader for the army. Wash- 
ington was a member of Congress, as you have been 
told, and deeply interested in its w^ork. John Adams, 
of Massachusetts, made an eloquent speech, setting 
forth the qualities that such a leader must possess. 
The Virginian sat a few seats off, looking in the 
orator's face with close attention, when Adams raised 
his voice and in ringing tones called out: 

" I nominate George Washington, of Virginia, com- 
mander-in-chief of the American army ! " 

Washington, who did not dream of what was 
coming, started, blushed, and became so agitated that 
he rose from his seat and left the room. He was re- 
solved at first to decline the honor, but when he found 
Congress was unanimous and would not listen to a 
refusal, and that no other man was thought of, he could 
not withhold his consent. Trusting in God for aid, he 
took upon his shoulders one of the heaviest burdens 
ever borne by any man. 

Washington in the Revolution.— Washincrton 
set out for Boston to take command of the army. 
Before arriving, he learned of the batde of Bunker 



I02 (5cotQC Masblngton. • 

Hill. In this battle the Americans fought bravely, but 
their ammunition gave out and the British regulars 
drove them from the field. 

Washington threw up intrenchments around Bos- 
ton and held the British army in the city for a number 
of months. Then he secured a position one dark night 
on Dorchester Heights, from which he began shelling 
the enemy. Very soon the British found they had no 
choice but to go on board their ships in the harbor and 
sail away. 

On the 4th of July, 1776, Congress in Philadelphia 
signed the immortal Declaration of Independence, which 
declared the colonies " free and independent." The 
news was read at the head of the army and was re- 
ceived with the rinorinor of bells, the burnino^ of bonfires 
and great rejoicing everywhere. 

England was bent on conquering her rebellious 
colonies. She sent a large fleet and army to capture 
New York. In a batde fought on Loner Island the 
Americans were defeated and forced to retreat from 
New York through New Jersey. The soldiers were in 
rags, and so few in number that a good many patriots 
thought all was lost. Washington, however, never lost 
faith in the final triumph of the cause of liberty. After 
crossing the Delaware into Pennsylvania, he halted and 
recrossed the river a few miles above Trenton. 
Throuofh a blindinof storm of sleet and snow he 
marched along the river while it was yet dark, reach- 
ing the outskirts of the town on the morning of De- 



(Beorfle MaabinQton. 103 

cember 26, 1776. Many of the Continentals were 
barefoot and the army could be tracked by their bloody 
footprints in the snow. 

There were a thousand Hessians in Trenton under 
Colonel Rail. They were surprised, defeated, and most 
of them taken prisoners. Colonel Rail was mortally 
wounded, and carried into a tavern, where Washinoton 
called on him as he lay on his death-bed. The brilliant 
victory, in which only a few lives were lost, did a great 
deal to raise the drooping hopes of the country. 

Washington, after crossing the river with his pris- 
oners, returned a few days later to Trenton. There he 
found Cornwallis in front with his powerful army, while 
behind was the Delaware, so choked with ice that it 
could not be passed again by the Continentals. Corn- 
wallis declared that Washington could not escape him. 

But the American commander outwitted him. He 
kept his camp-fires burning and his sentinels moving 
about on one side of the creek runninor through the 
town, so as to make it seem that all his army was there, 
while Cornwallis waited on the other side for daylight 
in order to bag the fox, as he called Washington. In 
the darkness of the night the American commander 
stole out with his army and by daylight was at Prince- 
ton, ten miles away. He was thus in the rear of Corn- 
wallis, and fell upon a detachment of British troops in 
that town, and defeated and scattered them. Before 
Cornwallis, who was hurrying from Trenton, could get 
to Princeton, Washington was beyond his reach and 



I04 George laaasbingun. ^ 

went into winter-quarters at Morristown. The British 
general marched to New Brunswick to save the stores 
he had collected there. 

The following year, the English captured Philadel- 
phia, which was our capital. In that city they lived upon 
the best in the land, while Washington and his patriots 
shivered in rags and suffered the pangs of starvation at 
Valley Forge. By and by, P>ance, as you were told in 
the story of Franklin, gave us arms and loaned us 
money to help fight the battles of liberty. Not only that, 
but she sent a large fleet to aid us. This so frightened 
the British that they hurried out of Philadelphia and 
made all haste to New York. Washington followed the 
troops that marched overland and, overtaking them at 
Monmouth Court House (now Freehold), defeated 
them. 

Thus the war went on for nearly seven years. It 
gradually drifted away from New England to the South, 
where the British met with much success. Cornwallis 
was the best general in the English army. He was in 
the South and after several victories becran marchino- 
northward. Washington was near New York and 
seemed to be making ready to attack the enemy there. 
When prepared, he faced his Continentals southward 
and marched in that direction. His purpose was to 
capture Cornwallis and his fine army, for, if that could 
be done, it was not likely the people of England would 
consent that their king should send another army to 



(3eor0e MasbinGton* 105 

conquer the Americans. Indeed, a good many persons 
in that country had opposed the war from the first. 

Washington was at the head, not only of the patriot 
forces, but of the French troops. CornwalHs had hardly 
time to learn of his danger, when he was shut up with 
his army at Yorktown, Virginia. He fought bravely to 
escape, but the allied troops held him fast. Finally, 
when all hope was gone, he surrendered, October 19, 
1 781. This victory brought the Revolution to an end. 
England saw that the American colonies could never be 
conquered and gave over the attempt. She made a 
treaty of peace and acknowledged the independence of 
the United States. 

It was a great thing to secure our independence 
and we can never be too grateful for the bravery and 
sufferinc-s of our forefathers. Washington had earned 
the eternal gratitude of his countrymen, for there never 
was a more unselfish patriot than he. He fought from 
the beginning to the end without a penny of pay. He 
could have had it if he wished, but refused to take it. 
He kept a strict account of all moneys received from 
the government, but sometimes forgot to put down that 
which he paid out. In these cases, he made up the 
difference from his private funds. Thus it may be said, 
he not only gave his great services to his country, but 
paid for the privilege of doing so. As I have said, he 
never lost faith in our final triumph. Others did, and 
he had enemies who were jealous of his fame and 
genius. They tried to displace him from command, but 



io6 (3C0XQC "WIlasblnGton. 

it never affected his conduct. He persevered to the end 
and earned his reward. 

When the fighting was over, he went back to his al- 
most ruined estate at Mount Vernon, where he hoped 
to spend the rest of his days in quiet, but it was not so 
to be. His country had further need of him. The 
United States was free, but in a sad condition. It could 
not be any poorer, and, worst of all, there was no real 
government. The patriots had been kept so busy fight- 
ing that they did not feel the need of it. The States 
held together because that was the only way to win. 
The time had come when everything would go to ruin 
unless a strong central government was formed. As it 
was, each State was a weak country of itself. The 
Union consisted of thirteen pieces with no cords bind- 
inor them tooether. 

The danger became so apparent to all that a con- 
vention was called to meet in Philadelphia in 1787. 
Washington was made president of the convention, 
which formed and adopted the Constitution that, with its 
amendments, has governed us ever since. 

Washington as President. — The Constitution 
being accepted, it was necessary to choose a President 
of the United States. No other person was thought of 
besides Washington, who received all the votes cast. 
He took the oath of office in New York, April 30, 1 789. 
The following year, Philadelphia became the capital and 
remained so until 1800, when the honor fell to the city 
of Washineton. 



QcovQc MasbinQton. 107 

Washington was re-elected when his first term 
ended and would have been elected a third time had he 
not refused. His administration was worthy in every 
way of his great ability, his statesmanship and his ex- 
alted patriotism. His character remained pure and un- 
spotted through life, and when he died at Mount Vernon, 
December 14, 1799, he was mourned and honored by 
the civilized world. 



Te/l in yoiir ozvn zvords what yon have Icarjied about : 

A model boy; the birth of Washington; his brother; his 
school days ; his strength and activity ; why he did not become 
a midshipman; his work as a surveyor; his defect as a speller; 
the rivalry between England and France in this country ; Wash- 
ington's journey through the wilderness ; his return journey ; 
the reply he brought back ; his movement against Fort Du- 
quesne; the disaster to General Braddock's army; the end of 
the war; Washington's return to Mount Vernon; the cause of 
the American Revolution; the Boston Tea Party; the Congress 
at Philadelphia; the battle of Lexington; the nomination of 
Washington as commander-in-chief; the driving out of the 
British from Boston ; tiie Declaration of Independence ; the 
battle of Long Island ; the battle of Trenton ; of Princeton ; the 
fall of Philadelphia; the aid from France; the battle of Mon- 
mouth Court House ; the victory at Yorktown ; Washington's 
services during the Revolution ; the formation of the Constitu- 
tion ; Washington's Presidency ; his death. 



X. 
James Robertson and John Sevier. 

A-dopt'ed, agreed to. Leg'is-lat'ure, that body which makes the 
laws. Or'gan-iz^ed, properly arranged. Com-mis'sion-ers, 
those appointed to do some business. Thrive, to prosper. 
Chinks, gaps or cracks. To'ries, those who favored Great 
Britain in the Revolution. Pa-trol', to guard. Ran'gers, 
soldiers who go from place to place. Am'bus-cad'ed, 
drawn into an ambush or hidden place. De-file', a long, 
narrow pass. RaKly, to collect or reduce to order. 

YOU have learned In the story of Washington that, 
when he made his journey through the wilder- 
ness, the English settlements in this country were 
near the Atlantic coast. The vast territory stretching 
from the Allegheny Mountains westward to the Pacific 
Ocean was inhabited almost wholly by wild beasts and 
Indians. The French had planted a number of military 
posts in the Mississippi valley, but these were taken 
away from them by the French and Indian War. Think 
of the map of our country as painted black, then mark 
the coast on the east with a fringe of white and it will 
show how small a portion was settled. 

But the Americans are roving and enterprising. 
They knew about the rich lands lying beyond the 

(io8) 



5amc0 1Robcrt6on anD 5obn Sevier. 109 

mountains. Hunters and trappers had been there and 
brought back reports which set the people thinking. 
Daniel Boone spent several years in Kentucky. At 
first he was alone, then he had a few companions and 
afterward he guided a number of families, including 
his own, into that region and setded there. Others 
went into the section now known as the State of Ten- 
nessee and began putting up log cabins. This migra- 
tion continued until, at the end of ten years, more than 
twenty thousand persons were living on the other side 
of the Alleghenies. The movement was the beginning 
of the development of the West and marked an era in 
the growth of our country. I am now going to tell you 
about the two men who had the most to do with the 
early setdement and opening of that extensive section. 

James Robertson. — Their names were James Rob- 
ertson and John Sevier. Both were born in Viro-inia. 
Robertson in 1742 and Sevier three years later. Sevier 
belonged to a good family and had a fair education. 
He corresponded with President Madison, Franklin and 
other leading statesmen. Robertson was taught to 
read and write by his wife. He was shrewd, wise and 
brave. He came to that part of Tennessee called 
Wautaga in 1770. He had been married tw^o years. 
He was tall, strong, sinewy, acdve and possessed daunt- 
less courage. He was not in quest of adventure alone, 
though he liked that, but was looking for a place where 
he could take his family. He rode over the mountains 
from North Carolina to the Great Smokies, where he 



no Sanies IRobertson anD 5obn Sevier. 

found the most lovely country on which he had ever 
eazed. A few settlers were ahead of him and Q^ave him 
welcome. He stayed with them long enough to raise a 
crop of corn. Then he placed a small quantity on his 
horse, mounted and started for North Carolina, as he 
had come without any companions. He had made up 
his mind to bring his family to Wautaga to live. 

He was riding his horse through the lonely moun- 
tains, when he discovered that he had strayed from the 
faint path. He tried for hours to find it, but wandered 
further away until he had to give up. He was in so 
wild a region that his horse was of no use to him, so he 
let him go and set out to walk home. There was plenty 
of game and he had little fear of suffering for food. A 
cold, driving rain, however, soaked his powder so he 
could not do anything with it. Thus he was not only 
lost but in danger of starvation. 

For two weeks he wandered through the moun- 
tains, sleeping beside rocks or fallen trees or wherever 
he could find shelter from the wintry wind, hunting all 
the time for some way out of the desolate region but 
unable to find it. He kept himself alive by eating nuts 
and berries. When so worn out that he could hardly 
walk, he met two hunters, who gave him food, allowed 
him to ride by turns on one of their horses and finally 
guided him to his home. 

In the following spring, Robertson set out for Wau- 
taga with fifteen families beside his own. The party 
journeyed like scores of others who came a long dis- 



^nmcB TRobertson and 5obn Scvter. m 

tance to found new homes in the West. The strono- 
men walked, with their rifles slung over their shoulders', 
on the lookout for game or treacherous Indians. The 
larger children drove the cows, while the women, the 
smaller children and the weak rode the pack horses, 
which carried the few household goods and implements 
for clearing and planting land. 

Robertson soon became the leading jnan in the 
setdement. On an island in the river he built a large 
cabin and furnished it in the rude style of the day. 
His foresight, wisdom and fine character caused his 
neighbors to look up to him for guidance, and he 
showed himself worthy of their trust. 

He quickly saw that in a growing community like 
that around him, they could not get along without 
government. So he drew up a number of ardcles, 
such as were needed, and the pioneers were glad to 
agree to them. They were the first of the kind adopted 
west of the mountains. The setders met in general 
convention and selected thirteen men to represent them 
in the first frontier legislature. That body named five 
of their number to carry on the regular business of 
government. Among the fivQ were Robertson and 
Sevier. 

This court ruled for six years and ruled well. It 
was moderate, careful of the rights of all, just to every 
one and stern toward wrong-doers. It made treades 
with the Indians, who caused much trouble. At the 
end of six years, North Carolina organized Tennessee 



112 5ame6 TRobcrteon anD 5obn Sevier. 

into Washington County and the old form of govern- 
ment came to an end. Little change, however, followed. 
Robertson, Sevier, and their associates were made 
members of the new court, and their just method of 
croverninof continued as before. To show how they 
manao-ed matters, a horse thief was arrested one day^ 
tried and found guilty on the third, and hanged on the 
fifth day. They did not bother with appeals, by which 
in these times a criminal sometimes escapes punishment 
for months and years. 

The British agents among the Cherokees ordered 
the Wautaga settlers to leave their lands. They re- 
fused, but, knowing their danger, sent two commis- 
sioners, to visit and treat with the Indians. Robertson 
was one of the commissioners, and they arranged things 
to suit all parties. An unfortunate incident occurred 
about that time. During some frontier sports, in which 
the whites and Indians took part, some evil setders, 
prowling in the woods, shot one of the Indians. The 
rest ran off, full of anger and bent on revenge. 

The relations between the white and red men were 
always so delicate that only by the greatest care had a 
war been averted. Every one now prepared for the 
worst outbreak in the history of the colony. The 
Indians were glad of an excuse to begin burning cabins 
and shooUng setders, and they made ready to go on 
the war path. Robertson left Sevier and the others to 
build a palisaded fort and then did a bold and wise 
thing ; he set off alone for the Cherokee towns. 



3^ame0 IRobertson anO 5obn Sevier, 113 

Nothinor could have been more danorerous, for he 
was Hable to be shot at any point of the long journey 
through the woods. But he did not hesitate. While 
the furious Cherokees were dancing their war dance, 
they were astonished to see Robertson walk out of the 
forest and advance arnono^ them. He was dicrnified, 
cool, and, best of all, had tact. He knew how to talk 
to the Indians, and they had learned long before that he 
was a brave and just man. Sullen and scowling, they 
listened to his words. He told them that he and his 
friends were as angry as they over the shooting of one 
of their number, and they would use every effort to 
capture and punish the- murderer. Talk like this would 
have had little effect from anyone else, but the Indians 
believed him and war was averted. 

The colony began to thrive. It was the first dis- 
tinct body to move into the wilderness and to build 
dwellings for themselves and families. Robertson, like 
Sevier, took part in what is known as Lord Dunmore's 
War. The decisive battle was foueht on the Great 
Kanawha at Point Pleasant. The Indians were led by 
Cornstalk, a famous chief of the Shawanoes. He 
brought his warriors, numbering more than a thou- 
sand, a long way through the forest, and did it with so 
much skill and secrecy that no one knew he was on the 
Great Kanawha until he arrived there. 

Cornstalk's line of battle was more than a mile 

long. The force of settlers was about the same as his, 

and faced the Indians with only a few rods between the 
8 



114 3^ame6 IRobertaon anD Sobn Sevier. 

lines. Thus they fought for hours, shooting from be- 
hind trees and any shelter that offered. Very often, 
they would rush toward each other and grapple in hand- 
to-hand combat. Cornstalk showed more generalship 
than the leader of the white men, and when the fighting 
was over, neither side had the advantage. Peace came 
after a time, but did not last long. 

Robertson was made superintendent of Indian 
affairs and lived among the Cherokees for a number of 
years. Then he left to settle in a new section. He had 
been a leader among the pioneers on the Holston and 
Cumberland and they had become thriving and prosper- 
ous. He now yielded to the yearning to push further 
westward and found new settlements and towns. I sup- 
pose he felt like the hunter, who found one morning 
that his next-door neighbor was near enough for him to 
see the smoke of his chimney. So he moved further 
into the woods, where he could have elbow-room. 

Robertson selected the rich and beautiful country 
around the great bend of the Cumberland. He first 
went with a small party to examine the place. They 
cleared off a part of the ground, planted it with corn 
and then went back to bring out their families. They 
took care, however, to leave three of their number be- 
hind to keep the buffaloes out of the corn. If a num- 
ber of boys were set to do that in these days, they 
would have to wait a long time before the buffaloes 
would disturb them. Robertson guided the families 
back to the section when autumn came. 



Sanies IRobertson an& 5obn Sevier. 115 

In a short time five hundred settlers were on the 
Cumberland. The central station was a palisaded ham- 
let, which Robertson named Nashborough, In honor of 
the patriot Governor Nash, of North Carolina. That 
part of the country was not claimed by any particular 
tribe of Indians and the settlers did not think they 
would be disturbed. So they scattered here and there 
to take up claims. Robertson warned them of their 
danger, and, sure enousfh, before lonor the savages 
attacked and drove them back. 

Seelnor as before the need of eood eovernment, the 
founder of the colony drew up a series of articles, which 
were adopted at Nashborough. The Indians gave them 
no rest. They crouched In the woods and shot down 
the settlers whenever they got the chance. They 
imitated the call of turkeys to draw a hunter away 
from the settlement and watched for hours for some 
one to walk Into the snare. They killed or captured all 
of the people at one of the stations. Among the slain 
was a son of Robertson. 

When the ammunition of the pioneers ran low, 
Robertson offered to go alone to Kentucky to get a 
supply. He made the long journey alone, where every 
mile was attended with peril. It was In the depth of 
winter, with snow on the ground and a keen^ cutting 
wind moanlnor amono- the trees. He reached Free- 
land Station on his return in the month of January, 
1781. 

You may be sure the people were glad to see the 



n6 5ames IRobertson atiD 3^obn Sevier* 

brave man back amonor them once more with a full 
supply of powder. He ate supper and sat up late 
talking with the family. The good people had no 
thought of danger when they retired and Robertson 
went to his room. 

He felt uneasy, however, though he knew the gate 
of the palisades had been fastened. He could not 
sleep, and lay tossing in his bed, more and more 
certain that somethincr was wronor. About midnight 
he heard a slight noise. He leaped up and ran to the 
window. The moon was shining brightly and he saw 
an alarming sight. 

The noise which he had heard was made by several 
warriors in unbarrinor the grate. A band of them were 
stealing into the yard. Robertson shouted ''Indians !'' 
and pointing his gun through the window, shot down 
the foremost warrior. The noise aroused the other 
setders and in a few minutes the rifles were crackinor 
from every house. 

The Indians had not expected this. But for the 
watchfulness of Robertson, all the people at the station 
would have been slain. It is not often that red men 
allow themselves to be caught at a disadvantage, but it 
was so this time. The bright moon showed them as 
clearly as if at noonday, and since there was no place 
where they could screen themselves, they skurried out 
of the gate and fired from beyond. One of the cabins 
did not have the chinks between the lo^s filled with 
clay, and some of the bullets passed within. A negro 



5amc6 IRobertson anD Jobn Sevier. 117 

was killed and two white men wounded. The assailants 
soon left. 

So many people were slain by the Indians that the 
settlers would have moved back to their old homes, but 
for the persuasion of Robertson. Some did go to 
Kentucky, some to Natchez and some to Illinois. 
After a time other people came and Robertson lived to 
see the country he had done so much to develop fairly 
started on the road to prosperity. 

John Sevier. — Sevier did not go to Wautaga until 
Robertson had been there two years. As you have 
learned, he was of fair education and belonged to a 
good family. He was said to be the finest-looking man 
in Tennessee. Before I am through with this story, I 
shall show that he was the best Indian fighter in the 
Southwest. 

I do not mean that he was braver than Robertson 
and many others, nor that he set out to hunt and shoot 
down red men, as some of his friends did. He loved 
peace and treated the Indians so justly that they re- 
spected him. When at last they were defeated, they 
begged that he might be the one to treat with them. 
They knew he would do nothing that was not right. 

You will remember that when Robertson set off 
alone to visit the Cherokees, in the hope of persuading 
them not to go to war, he left Sevier behind at the 
settlement to build a fort. He did that and sometinie 
later took an active part in Lord Dunmore's war. He 
was so ardent a patriot that a party of Tories plotted to 



ii8 5ame6 IRobertson anD 5obn Sevier. 

kill him while asleep at home in bed. But the wife of 

one of the Tories had been treated kindly by the wife 

of Sevier, and told her of the plot. The result was that 

the rino-leader of the Tories was killed and the rest fled 
ft 

for their lives. 

Sevier quickly became a leader in Washington 
County. He was one of the most hospitable of men 
and treated all so well that they could not help liking 
him. No braver pioneer lived, and he was always a 
gendeman. The poorest and least w^orthy were treated 
so kindly that they declared " Chucky John," as they 
called him, the best fellow in the world. 

North Carolina, in 1780, w^as in so much peril from 
the Tories and British, that she sent messengers across 
the mountains to the Holston colony asking for help. 
There was great danger from the Indians, but most of 
the men went. Sevier stayed behind to patrol the 
setdements and watch the Cherokees, who were on the 
alert for a chance to attack the pioneers. 

The danger from the British increasing, Sevier 
raised a company of rifle-rangers. In the regiment to 
which he was attached he had two sons, two of his 
brothers were captains, and two relatives were privates. 
Sevier led the right wing in the battle of King's 
Mountain and did excellent service. 

After this batde, the people of Holston or Upper 
Tennessee were In imminent peril again from the Cher- 
okee Indians. Congress tried to make a treaty of 
peace with them and did all that could be done to hold 



5amc6 Tkobertson anD 5obn Sevier. 119 

them neutral, but the British agents stirred them to 
strike the patriots whenever the chance offered. They 
did not attack the setdements in large bands, but stole 
horses, burned cabins, and shot and scalped men, 
women, and children, whenever it was safe to do so. 

In order to deliver a crushing blow, a force of 
seven hundred mounted riflemen was raised amono- the 
Holston setdements and in Virginia. Sevier with a 
force of about three hundred, came upon the Indians at 
Boyd's Creek. There he proved his skill by beating 
the savages at their own style of w^arfare. He ambus- 
caded the whole force, inflicted severe loss and scattered 
the rest, while not a white man was so much as 
wounded. 

This success brought relief and delighted Virginia 
and North Carolina, but it did not result in lasting 
peace. Sevier determined to strike a blow that should 
setde matters, and he again proved his dde of the best 
Indian fighter in the Southwest. 

Selecting one hundred and fifty horsemen, every 
one of whom was a dead shot, he set out for the Chero- 
kee country. No venture of the kind had ever been 
made before, and the savages did not dream of their 
danger. With these men, Sevier swam mountain tor- 
rents, threaded his way through gloomy defiles, where 
no trail guided them, over towering peaks, frosted with 
snow and into the wildest depths of the Great Smoky 
range, until he had penetrated a distance of one hun- 
dred and fifty miles. Then the party descended like a 



I20 3^amc3 IRobcrtson anD 5obn Sevier. 

thunderbolt upon the Indian towns. The main village 
was captured, thirty warriors slain, and many women 
and children taken prisoners. Two other towns and 
three small villages were burned, a vast amount of pro- 
visions destroyed and two hundred horses taken away. 
Only one white man was killed and one wounded. Be- 
fore the Cherokees could rally, Sevier and his men had 
dashed into the mountains and were soon safe home 
again. 

The prisoners taken by Sevier were exchanged for 
those held by the Indians. It w^as necessary to strike 
the Cherokees repeatedly and no man did it so effec- 
tively as Sevier. He appeared at the most unexpected 
places and times and played havoc right and left, and he 
kept it up until the savages begged for peace. Then it 
was that they asked that Sevier might be appointed to 
arrange terms with them. 

All danger from the red men being over, Sevier 
and several of his friends led companies of mounted 
riflemen to the help of the struggling patriots in 
Georgia and the Carolinas. He aided Marion in many 
of his fights with the Tories and British, adding to his 
reputation as a bold and skilful fighter in every engage- 
ment in which he took part. He was the first governor 
of Tennessee. Like Robertson, however, his chief fame 
rests upon his splendid work in settling and developing 
the Southwest. The doings of no one else can be com- 
pared wath theirs. 



Barnes IRobertson anD 5obn Sevfcr. 121 

Tell in yotir own words zv hat you have learned about: 

The settled portion of our country before the Revolution • 
the westward movement ; James Robertson and John Sevier • 
Robertson's visit to Wautaga ; his return journey; his removal 
to Wautaga ; how the government was arranged ; how he pre- 
vented an Indian war; the battle of Point Pleasant; the next 
movement of Robertson ; Nashborough ; the troubles with the 
Indians; Robertson's adventure at Freeland Station; procrress 
of the settlement.— John Sevier ; the plot of the Tories ; King's 
Mountam ; his exploit in Indian warfare ; his expedition into the 
Cherokee country ; his further services. 




XI. 
ELI WHITNEY. 

Cult'ure, the growth or production. Fi'bre, slender thread. 
Deft, apt, neat. Draw wire, to stretch or lengthen it out. 
Patient, a grant by the government for a term of years of 
the sole rights of an invention. Per-c^nt'age, an allowance 
or commission on a hundred. Man'u-fact'ure, to make any 
wares. 

AMONG the young men who graduated from Yale 
College shortly after the Revolution was Eli 
Whitney, who was born in Massachusetts, De- 
cember 8, 1765. He removed to Savanah, Georgia, 
and took up the study of law. He boarded with the 
widow of General Nathaniel Greene, the "Quaker 
general " in our war for independence, who not only 
looked like Washington, but was next to him in skill 
and his equal in nobility of character. 

One day young Whitney w^as talking with Mrs. 
Greene about the culture of cotton. The soil and 
climate of the South are well fitted for this Industry, but 
at that time It amounted to lltde. It did not pay 
because of the tedious labor required to separate the 
fibre from the seed. If you will try to do this, you will 

find that the two cling so closely that It Is hard work to 

(122) 



mi mbitneg. 123 

pull them apart. The most that a deft negro woman 
could do was to clean a pound a day. That was so 
slow that few people cared to cultivate cotton. 

Mrs. Greene asked Whitney why he did not try to 
invent a machine that would separate the cotton from 
the seed. The young man saw that if he succeeded in 
doing this, his invention would prove one of the most 
useful in the world and brinor him a fortune. He said 
he would try, and set to work. 

He found it hard to do what was necessary. In 
the first place, he had to make his own tools and draw 
his own wire. The idea, however, was in his brain, and 
he wrought night and day. He allowed no one to see 
the machine except Mrs. Greene and a friend named 
Miller. If his secret became known to others, they 
would steal his idea and thus rob him of the money he 
was sure to make from his invention. 

But in some way the truth leaked out. The people 
knew the young man was at work on a contrivance 
which would be of great help in the culture of cotton. 
They tried to get a peep at it, but Whitney kept them 
at a distance, and neither he nor his friends would tell 
them anything about it. 

One morninor he w^ent out to the shed to resume 
w^ork on his invention, but to his dismay, it was not 
there. Some one had broken into the building at night 
and stolen it. It was a cruel disappointment, for he 
could not find out who the thief was and his secret was 
now known to others. He set to w^ork at once on a new 



124 Bli Mbttnc^, - 

model, but before he could finish it several machines 
based on his ideas had been made and were in opera- 
tion. He took his friend Miller into partnership, and 
in May, 1793, they went to Connecticut to manufacture 
the machines for the South. 

The patent was so valuable that it was continually 
infringed upon ; that is, people who had no right to do 
so made and sold the machines. It cost a ereat deal to 
stop them and, after spending much money, Whitney 
often failed to get the profits that belonged to him. 
South Carolina agreed to pay him $50,000 for his in- 
vention, but it took a long and expensive lawsuit to 
secure it. North Carolina allowed him a percentage 
for five years. She collected and paid it too. Tennes- 
see promised to do the same thing, but did not. 

Whitney had enough misfortunes to discourage 
any man. Lawsuits were on his hands all the time. 
Reports were spread that his machines injured the fibre 
of the cotton. Congress refused to renew his patent. 
His factory burned down and his partner. Miller, died. 
All his money was gone and nothing more could be 
made out of his invention. 

But remember, boys, that while you may lose 
money, there are better things than money which no 
one can steal from you. Your good name, your 
honesty, and your ability belong to you and no person 
can rob you of them. Instead of giving up, EH Whitney 
turned his energies In other directions. He began 
manufacturing firearms for the government and again 



Bit mbltne^. 125 

became a wealthy man. He was the first one to make 
each single part of a gun fit an)^ one of the thousands 
of oruns beinof made at the same tune. He invented 
several other contrivances, which added more to his 
fame than to his fortune. 

The great invention of Whitney is known as the 
cotton Q-'m. The word " orin " is a shortening of the 
word " engine." To show you what work it did, I need 
only tell you that one of those simple machines will 
separate more cotton from its seed in one day than 
three thousand men can separate by their hands in the 
same time. Its structure is so simple that you can 
learn in a few minutes how it works. You will wonder, 
as is the case with many inventions, why some one did 
not think of it before Whitney. 

. Perhaps no American invention ever produced 
a greater effect upon our country. The growth of 
cotton increased with marvelous rapidity. It brought 
wealth to the planters and made the South so rich and 
powerful that the people were confident of success 
when the civil war began. Many believe that but for 
the cotton gin there never would have been a civil war. 
Four-fifths of the cotton used in England comes from 
this country, where the annual product is not millions, 
but billions of pounds. 

Te/l in your ozvn zvords ivliat you have learned about : 

Eli Whitney; his conversation with Mrs. Greene; the 
difficulty of separating cotton seed from the fibre; Whitney's 



126 



mi mbitnes. 



work ; his loss ; the invention ; the infringements ; what he 
was paid ; his misfortunes ; what things cannot be stolen from a 
person ; his other successes ; what has been accomplished by 
the cotton gin* the amount of cotton grown in this country. 



XII. 
THOMAS JEFFERSON. 

Re-peaK, to make of no effect. Miii'is-ter, the representative of 
a government at a foreign post. SSc're-ta^ry of State, the 
head of the State Department. Trib'ute, tax. PeKtries, 
skins with the fur on. E^ra, a fixed point of time. Hail'ed, 
called to loudly. Pest'er-ed, annoyed. 

rpHOMAS^ JEFFERSON was the most learned 
I President we ever had. He was master of the 
Latin, Greek, French, Spanish and Italian lan- 
guages, a fine musician, a good mathematician, and, 
though not an orator, could express his thoughts on 
paper with exquisite grace and power. He ranks 
amonor the orreatest of all our Presidents. 

He was born at Shadwell, Virginia, April 2, 1743. 
His father was a rich planter, who died when his son 
was fourteen years old and left him a large plantation. 
Jefferson was of thin frame but as tall as Washington. 
He was fond of horses and the athletic sports of those 
days, but he knew the value of time and did not waste 
it. When at Wllliamsburof Colleore, he sometimes 
studied ten, twelve and even more hours a day. His 
sturdy frame enabled him to do this without harm to 

himself. 

(127) 



128 ^bomas ffetferson. - 

He graduated during die stirring times when the 
people were preparing for the Revoludon. He married 
a wealthy lady and built a fine house, which he called 
MonUcello (mon'te-cheHo). He was an ardent patriot 
and was sent to the Virginia legislature while yet a 
young man. He was elected to Congress soon after- 
ward. He wrote nearly every word of the Declaration 
of Independence. The place where he did this is 
still preserved with great care in Philadelphia. The 
Declaration is among the most precious treasures of 
our orovernment. 

Jefferson secured the passage of many excellent 
laws. Virginia, like the rest of the States, had copied 
most of her laws from those of England. One provided 
that the land belonging to the head of a family should 
go at his death to the eldest son. This is called the law 
of entail. Jefferson had it repealed. In some of the 
States the religion was established by law. This was 
also done away with in Virginia through his efforts. 
No one was taxed to support any faith. He was the 
author, too, of our decimal system of money and of a 
set of rules for governing the United States Senate. 

During a part of the Revolution, Jefferson was 
governor of Virginia. He had to make great exer- 
tions to prevent the State being overrun by the enemy. 
He was obliged to flee from his own house to escape 
capture. The British were very anxious to lay hands 
on the man who wrote the Declaration of Independ- 
ence. 



^bomas ^fefferson. 



129 



He was a loving- husband and father and so kind 
to his slaves that they idolized him. He met with 
deep sorrow in the loss of four of his six children while 
they were young and in the death of his wife who 
passed away at the close of the Revolution. 




THOMAS JEFFERSON. 

When Franklin, who was old and feebe, came back 
from serving as minister to France, Jefferson took his 
place. He remained abroad five years. On his return 
to Montlcello, his slaves lifted him out of his carriaee, 
carried him into the house and were so deliehted to 

9 



130 ^bomas Scftcrgon. • 

see him among them again that they wept with joy. 
Washington was President and made Jefferson his 
Secretary of State. On the last day of 1793, he re- 
signed and went back to Monticello. 

The country knew the worth of Jefferson too well 
to allow him to remain in retirement. He was elected 
Vice-President under Adams, the second President, 
and in 1800 became President. He held the office for 
two terms. He was the founder of the Democratic 
party of to-day, which, rather oddly, was known in his 
time as the Republican party. Although rich and 
highly educated, he was in favor of simplicity and 
economy. He did not like pomp and show. On the 
day of his inauguration, instead of proceeding to the 
capitol in state, as Washington and Adams had done, 
he rode alone on horseback. He stopped the social 
receptions because he thought they looked too much 
like royalty. He tried to keep his birthday a secret so 
his friends could not celebrate it. He did not wish any 
one to apply a title to his name when addressing him. 
Instead of wearing showy buckles in his shoes, he used 
ordinary leather strings. He tried to conduct the gov- 
ernment on the principles that Franklin set forth in 
'' Poor Richard's Almanac." 

Many important events took place during Jeffer- 
son's administration. In 1803, our government bought 
Louisiana from France for $15,000,000. It was an im- 
mense territory at that time, including all of the present 
States of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska. 



^bomas Jefferson. 131 

Minnesota, Iowa, Indian Territory, the Dakotas, Mon- 
tana and parts of Kansas, Wyoming and Colorado. 

The bashaw or ruler at Tripoli had made a prac- 
tice for years of capturing the vessels of Christian na- 
tions and holding their crews for ransom. These great 
powers actually paid that barbarian an annual tribute 
on condition that he would let their vessels alone. The 
bashaw thought the United States was too slow in pay- 
ing its tax, so he made up his mind to wake us up by 
declarino- war. 

And didn't he receive a lesson ? Our orallant little 
navy soon appeared in the Mediterranean and played 
havoc with his vessels and crews. The city of Tripoli 
was bombarded and the bashaw scared almost out 
of his wits. He made haste to sign just such a treaty 
as we ordered him to sign. 

When Jefferson was President, very little was 
known of the country on the other side of the Missis- 
sippi. Most of it was marked on the maps as an unex- 
plored region. Now and then a few hunters or trappers 
ventured into the vast section in search of furs. When 
not slain by Indians, they came back with valuable pel- 
tries and perhaps a little additional knowledge of the 
country. In the spring of 1804, Captains Lewis and 
Clarke led an exploring expedition westward. They 
were gone two years, during which they reached the 
headwaters of the Columbia and followed it down to its 
mouth in the Pacific. They were the first white men to 
cross the continent north of Mexico. 



132 Q:boma6 Jefferson. • 

In I yS'jy John Fitch, who had a gun shop in Tren- 
ton during the Revolution, put together a rude steam- 
boat. Instead of having wheels at the sides, he ar- 
ranged a number of oars to be worked by an engine. 
The boat was a failure, although he made one trip to 
Burlington in 1788. Success was not reached until 
1807. In that year, Robert Fulton, an American, made 
a steamer, called the Katherine of Cler77i07it. It was 
over one hundred feet long, about twenty feet wide, 
with paddle wheels and a sheet iron boiler that had 
been brought from England. It was launched at New 
York and started up the river August ist. It took thirty- 
two hours to go to Albany, a distance of one hundred 
and five miles, but the event marked an era in the his- 
tory of the world. 

England began acting unjustly toward the United 
States about this time. She claimed the right to stop 
our vessels anywhere and search them for deserters. 
In June, 1807, the British frigate Leopard hailed the 
American frigate Chesapeake, which refused to allow the 
searching party to come on board. Thereupon the 
Leopard poured several broadsides into the Chesapeake, 
killino- three and woundino^ seventeen men. This was 
the chief outrao^e that brouo^ht on the war of 181 2. 

Matters were in this unsettled state when Jeffer- 
son's second term ended and he went back to Monti- 
cello to end his days in peace. He was so famous that 
people continually flocked thither to gain a look at him. 
Like all Southerners, he was very hospitable, but the 



Q:boma6 S^cftcrson* 133 

crowds pestered him all the time and finally made him 
poor. 

One of the strangest events in our history took 
place July 4, 1826. On that day, John Adams, the 
second President, and Jefferson, the third, died. They 
were very old men, and passed away just fifty years 
after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, 
with which they had more to do than any one else. It 
was a striking incident, the like of w^hich was never 
known. 



Tell ill your own words zu hat you have learned abont : 

The learning of Thomas Jefferson ; his birth and educa- 
tion ; Monticello ; his first years in public life ; the Declaration 
of Independence ; the laws he secured ; his experience when 
governor of Virginia ; his affliction ; his return from France ; 
Washington's appreciation of him ; his Vice-Presidency and 
Presidency ; his simple tastes ; the purchase of Louisiana ; the 
war with Tripoli ; the expedition of Lewis and Clarke ; the first 
steamboat; the affair of \.\\q Leopard and Chesapeake ; Jeffer- 
son's retirement and death. 



XIII. 
ANDREW JACKSON. 

Ob'sta-cle, anything that hinders. Clam'or-ed, demanded in a 
loud voice. Mi-h'tia (mi-lish'a), a body of soldiers, en- 
rolled for discipline, but used only in emergency. An'ni- 
vSr'sa-ry, returning with the year at a stated time. Wi'ly, 
cunning. Court-mar'tial-ed, tried by a mihtary court. 

ANDREW JACKSON was one of the most remark- 
able of all the men that have been President of 
our country. He had a fiery temper and was as 
ready to fight as Miles Standish. He was afraid of 
nobody. He loved his friends and hated his enemies. 
He was a patriot, ready to give his life for his country. 
When he believed himself right, he cared for the 
opinion of no one and stopped at no obstacle. He 
would carry out his own will in the face of the world. 

There were many traits about Jackson to admire. 
He never wronged a man out of a penny. Every hair 
of his head was honest. He lived a pure life, loved his 
wife tenderly, treated all women with the utmost 
respect, and, after his stormy life, became a devout 
Christian. His father was an Irishman, who died when 
Andrew wa.s only five days old. He was born just 

(134) 



BnOrcw 5acli6om 135 

across the line in North CaroHna, March 15, 1767. 
He had two brothers older than himself. The mother 
was so poor that only by hard work was she able to 
provide food and clothing for her little ones. 

You have learned in the story of Washington that 
toward the close of the Revolution, the South was over- 
run by the British. There was a great deal of hard 
fitrhtine and our soldiers suffered for food and clothinor. 
Besides that, many of the people were Tories and 
helped the enemy, so that the patriots had to fight 
them too. Marion, Sumter, and Pickens did good 
service and greatly helped the cause of independence. 
In August, 1780, Sumter attacked a large force of 
Tories and British at a place called Hanging Rock. 
The fight was sharp, but the enemy were defeated and 
driven in all directions. One of the bravest of the 
patriots was litde Andrew Jackson, only thirteen years 
old. 

The eldest brother was killed while fighting for his 
country, but Andrew and the other brother were taken 
prisoners. A British officer thought the young Ameri- 
cans were just the ones to serve him as bootblacks. 
He ordered Andrew to clean his boots, but the lad 
refused. The officer struck him a brutal blow with his 
sword and made a bad wound, but he could not compel 
the sturdy patriot to obey him. The brother was 
equally obstinate, and died from the hurt he received. 
Andrew alone was left, and he was taken down with 
small-pox. He was given up to die, but his good 



136 BnOrcw 5acl?6on. 

mother secured his release and nursed him back to 
health. She died soon afterward, so that at the close 
of the Revolution, Andrew was the only member of the 
family alive. 

When peace came, he took up the study of law 
and at the age of twenty-one, moved to Nashville, 
Tennessee. It was a rough country, but it suited him. 
He fought a number of duels. In one he faced the 
most famous pistol-shot in the country. Jackson killed 
the man and received a bad wound himself, but he did 
not let anyone know he was hurt, because he did not 
wish his enemy to see him suffer during the few minutes 
that he lived. 

In 1 796, Jackson was elected to the Tennessee 
Legislature. He sat in the Senate for a year without 
making a speech or casting a vote. Then he went 
home, where he was appointed a Judge of the Supreme 
Court, and a major-general of militia. Weatherford, a 
vicious chief of the Creek Indians, with more than a 
thousand warriors, attacked Fort Mimms, Alabama, in 
the latter part of the summer of 181 3. The garrison 
were not expecting an attack and were surprised. They 
numbered three hundred with the women and children. 
They fought bravely, but were overcome and nearly all 
killed. Many of the women and children that had 
taken refuo^e in a buildinor were burned to death with 
the wounded commander of the fort. 

The massacre roused the wrath of the American 
nation. Tennessee called for five thousand soldiers, 



BnOrew ^acksom 137 

which were placed under the command of Jackson, who 
was ordered to punish the Creeks for their crime. 
Jackson had not yet recovered from a wound received 
in a duel, but he placed himself at the head of the Ten- 
nesseans and marched into the Indian country. 

The soldiers suffered greatly for food. The provi- 
sions that were promised did not arrive and the men 
grew desperate. One of them went to the commander, 
who was sittincr under a tree munching somethinor and 
told him he could stand it no longer. He must have 
food or he would leave. 

" I am sorry for you," replied Jackson, " and am al- 
ways ready to divide with a hungry man; here's half 
of my dinner." 

As he spoke, he extended his open palm toward 
the soldier, who saw that it contained a few acorns. 
The heroic example of the leader did much to quiet the 
mutinous soldiers, but had any other man than Jackson 
been over them, they would have revolted and gone 
home. 

The Creeks fought bravely, but Jackson defeated 
them again and again. Finally, hundreds of the war- 
riors gathered at Horse Shoe Bend for the last stand. 
They were routed with great loss and the Creek War 
•ended. The Indians had come to fear Jackson so much 
that they nick-named him " Sharp Knife " and " Pointed 
Arrow." His own friends called him " Old Hickory." 

The Creeks kept coming in and surrendering, but 
the man of all others whom Jackson wanted and whom 



138 BnDrew 5acft9on. 

he was determined to have, did not appear. He was 
Weatherford, the leader at the massacre of Fort 
Mimms. It was not safe to leave him free, for there 
was no saying what mischief he would plot. Jackson told 
the Creeks he would not make peace with them until 
they brought in their chief. When Weatherford heard 
'of this, he walked into Jackson's tent and told him he 
had come to surrender himself. Jackson was astonished 
at his action, but admired his bravery. He informed 
Weatherford that he was free and would not be dis- 
turbed as long as he kept his promise. The soldiers 
clamored for the life of the chief, but Jackson would not 
let them touch him. 

The army which England sent against New Orleans 
w^as one of the finest in the world. It numbered twelve 
thousand soldiers, all of whom were trained veterans. 
They were under the command of General Pakenham, 
brother-in-law of the Duke of Wellington, the con- 
queror of Napoleon. 

Jackson, who had charge of the defences of the 
city, was not frightened by this imposing array. He 
enlisted every man possible for work in repelling the 
invaders. No matter who they were, he put a mus- 
ket in their hands and set them to work. He took 
the militia, the convicts, the negroes, and even a pirate 
captain. The British had tried to hire this pirate, 
but he refused and joined Jackson. The people in 
New Orleans began to complain of Jackson's harsh 
measures. He stopped that by declaring martial 



Bn^rcw Jacftson. 139 

law ; that is to say, he set the regular authorities of 
the city aside and governed it with his own soldiers. 
It did not take the people long to learn they had a 
master over them. 

The patriot army numbered about three thousand 
men, mostly militia. They were placed in a line of 
intrenchments a mile in length, about four miles from 
the city. Among them were scores of Kentucky and 
Tennessee riflemen, the finest marksmen in the world. 
The British regulars advanced against the Americans 
again and again, but were swept off their feet by the 
unerring riflemen. General Pakenham, and more than 
two thousand of his men were killed, while the Ameri- 
cans lost only seven. This great victory was won 
January 8, 181 5, and added much to General Jackson's 
fame. No anniversary is allowed to pass without a 
celebration of the triumph. 

To show Jackson's self-will and vigor, I will tell 
you what he did in 18 18. He had invaded Florida in 
pursuit of some Seminoles, with whom we were at war. 
The territory then belonged to Spain. Jackson was 
determined to follow the savages anywhere necessary 
to catch them. He caught two of the chiefs, who, it 
was proven, had committed many atrocities and hanged 
both. He tried to lay hands on Billy Bowlegs, one of 
the leaders, but the wily fellow kept out of his reach. 

Jackson captured a former officer of the British 
army and a Scotchman who was an Indian trader. 
It was known that these men had given help to 



HO Bn^rcvv 5acft6on» 

the Seminoles. A court-martial sentenced the Eno-- 
Hshman to receive fifty lashes and suffer a year's 
imprisonment, while the Scotchman was ordered to be 
shot. Jackson had him shot, then set aside the sentence 
of the Englishman and shot him. 

Andrew Jackson had become the idol of the 
American people, and in 1828 he was elected President 
by an immense majority. He was re-elected four years 
later, and carried into his high office all those qualities 
which his countrymen had learned to admire. He was 
inflexibly honest, stern, kind to his friends, harsh to his 
enemies and patriotic always. He turned out of office 
those that did not agree with him in politics, and put 
his supporters in their places. He compelled foreign 
nations to respect our flag and our country. On the 
conclusion of his second term, he retired to his home 
in Tennessee, known as the " Hermitage," where he 
died from consumption in 1845. 



Tell in yoiw own words what yon have learned about : 

The character of Andrew Jackson ; his birth ; what he did 
during the Revolution ; his removal to Tennessee ; his duelling 
habits; his course in the Tennessee Legislature; the massacre 
at Fort Mimms; the Creek War; the incident of the hungry 
soldier; the surrender of Weatherford ; the battle of New 
Orleans; Jackson's course in Florida; his terms as President; 
his death. 



XIV. 
S. F. B. MORSE. 

Sub'tle, (sut'el), delicate, fine, hard to understand. Rig'id, stiff, 
hard to bend. Cir'cuit (ser'kit), in electricity, the distance 
through which the electrical fluid passes from the starting 
point "and back again. Re-buffs', rude checks or repulses. 
Per-sist'en-cy, steady pursuit of what is undertaken. Spe'- 
cial, uncommon. Sub'ma-rine, under the sea. Fra-ter'- 
ni-ty, a brotherhood. 

IF ALL the telegraph wires in this country were 
stretched in a single line, they would reach from 
■ the earth to the moon, then back and once more to 
the moon, with twenty thousand miles dangling in space 
like the tail of a kite. They would wrap the world 
round thirty times and leave enough to tie the ends in 
a big knot. And yet, when Fremont began his explora- 
tion of the West, there was not a mile of telegraph wire 
in the United States. 

It was Benjamin Franklin, the philosopher, who 
first brought down the lightning from the clouds by 
means of his kite. It has been said that he caught the 
Ijcxhtnino; and Morse harnessed it. It may be added 
that Edison is now busy taming the subtle steed, which 
is fast working a revolution in the world. 

(HI) 



142 S. ff. 35. /Dborse. - 

The inventor of the magnetic telegraph was Samuel 
Finley Breese Morse, born in Charlestovvn, Massachu- 
setts, April 27, 1 791. His grandfather was president 
of Princeton College, and his father, a clergyman, was 
author of Morse's geography, which many of your 
parents remember. The son was a graduate of Yale, 
and early gave his attention to painting, in which he 
afterwar4s became famous. When a boy at school he 
scratched the likeness of his teacher on a bureau and 
was whipped for it. At fifteen, he painted in colors, 
and at nineteen made a fine picture of the landing of 
the Pilgrims at Plymouth. This picture hung for a 
long time in the office of the mayor of Charlestown. 

The first idea of the telegraph entered the mind of 
Morse one morninor when in the recitation room at 
college. During a lesson on the subject of electricity, 
of which little was known, these words were spoken 
and lingered in his mind: 'Tf the current of electricity 
be interrupted the fluid will become visible; and when 
it passes, it will leave an impression upon the inter- 
mediate body." Morse pondered over this fact for 
months and years, dimly seeing the great invention 
which was to make him famous, but which took him 
years to bring to perfection. 

He took up the study of painting. He went to 
Europe, where he became the favorite pupil of the 
celebrated Benjamin West. He showed great ability 
and improved fast. One day, having made with great 
care a small cast of Hercules, he showed It to West. 



S. IF. :fi8. /Dborse. 



143 



He examined and handed it back with the remark: 
** Very good, sir; go on and finish it." "It is finished," 
repHed the surprised Morse. '* No," said his master, 
■with a disapproving shake of his head. 

Morse took it away and wrought for another week. 
When he 

brought it back, 
his teacher made 
the same remark 
as before. The 
young man was 
dissatisfied. 
Then West 
pointed out its J 
defects, which 
Morse admitted, 
and devoted 
three days to cor- ^ 
r e c t i n or them. 
Returning, he 
once more hand- 
ed it to his in- 
structor, who ex- 
amined it with great care. " Well done, indeed," he re- 
marked ; "now go on and finish it." 

As may be supposed, Morse was discouraged. 
Then West praised his industry and skill and told him 
that if he would really finish one picture he would 
become a painter. Morse's clay model of the " Dying 




S. F. B. MORSE. 



144 S. 3f. JB. ^orse. 

Hercules " carried off the prize at the Society of Arts, 
and the orold medal was conferred on him in the 
presence of a distinguished company. A large painting 
took foremost rank at the exhibition of the Royal 
Academy. 

Morse's father was poor, and the son was obliged 
to use rigid economy to support himself. When he 
came back to this country, he was famous, but had no 
money. He and his brother invented a pump, but it 
turned out a failure. He supported himself by travel- 
ing through the country and painting portraits wherever 
he could find people who wanted them. All this time 
he was studying over the telegraph. In 1832, he got 
so far with it that he asked Congress to give him 
money with which to put up a line between Washington 
and Baltimore. No one else, however, believed in the 
idea and the money was not granted. He went to 
Europe to secure patents, but they were refused. 
While there he met Daguerre, the inventor of the 
daguerreotype and they talked much together. Da- 
guerre explained his method of taking pictures. On 
Morse's return, he made the first apparatus and took 
the first daguerreotype in this country. The process did 
not become popular. The pictures could not compare 
with the photograph of to-day, and a person had to sit 
for a quarter of an hour in a glare of sunlight, without 
stirring and trying to keep from winking until his eyes 
ached. 

In the winter of 1837-38, Morse was again in 



S. 3f. :©♦ /Iftorec. 145 

Washington striving to interest Congress in his inven- 
tion. He formed a curcuit of ten rniles and the 
Congressmen watched him at work. They thought it 
interesting, but would do nothing to help him. Morse 
was sensitive, and felt hurt when he saw them slyly 
laughing at him, and he knew they looked upon him as 
a " crank." 

The only way to succeed in this world, as I have 
told you, is by sticking to it. The boy or man who is 
discouraged by the first or second or third failure, and 
gives up, will never amount to anything. Morse had 
met with enough rebuffs to cause any one to despair, 
but he knew his project was certain to succeed, sooner 
or later, and amaze the world. 

He lived for three years by himself in a little room 
in New York. He cooked his own meals, when he had 
them to cook, and toiled and hoped on. There were 
days when he had not a penny. What money he made 
was earned by giving lessons in painting at the New 
York University. One of his students in after years 
told this story : 

" I engaged to become one of Morse's pupils in 
painting. He had three others. I soon found that the 
Professor had litde patronage. I paid my fifty dollars, 
which settled one quarter's instruction. I remember 
when my second was due, my remittance from home 
did not come as I expected, and one day the Professor 
came in and said to me courteously, 'Well, my boy, 
how are we off for money ? ' * Why, professor, I am 



140 S, If. :©. /nborsc. • 

sorry to say I have been disappointed, but I expect a 
remittance next week.' ' Next week,' he repeated sadly ; 

* I shall be dead by that time.' 

"'Dead, sir?' 

" * Yes, dead by starvation.' 

"I was distressed and astonished. I said hurriedly, 

* Would ten dollars be of any service ? ' 

" ' Ten dollars would save my life ; that is all it 
would do.' 

" I paid my money, all that I had, and we dined 
toorether. It was a modest meal, but o^ood. After we 
had finished he said : ' This is my first meal in twenty- 
four hours.' " 

In the end Congress yielded to the persistency of 
Morse and appropriated $30,000 with which to build a 
line forty miles long between Washington and Balti- 
more. They had a hard time in insulating the wires ; 
that is, in putting them up so that the electricity would 
stay in the wire and not run off into anything which 
touched it. At last the line was completed. Morse 
promised Miss Elsworth, the daughter of one of his 
most helpful friends, that she should send the first 
message over it. She did so in these words : " What 
hath God wrought ! " This first telegram is still pre- 
served amonor the treasures of the Connecticut His- 
torical Society, 

Much sport was made of the new invention. 
Some wag hung a pair of boots over the wire in 
Washington and told the crowd they had just arrived 



S. 3f. 3B. /IBorge. 147 

from Baltimore. A gentlemen of some note was in 
earnest when he asked the size of the packages that 
could be sent by telegraph. A countrymen stood a 
long time watching the workmen putting up a line. 
Finally he sighed and remarked: "I think I can manage 
to hold on while scooting along that wire, but I'm sure 
to have trouble in going over the tops of the poles." 

But success was in sight. The Democratic con- 
vention in Baltimore nominated James K. Polk for the 
Presidency. As soon as it was done many people 
boarded the cars which ran with all speed to Wash- 
ington with the news. When the train arrived in the 
capital the passengers were amazed to find the tidings 
had been there over an hour. It had traveled by tele- 
graph. One of the greatest inventions of the age had 
been completed and was a success. No one cared to 
express any more doubts or to ridicule it. 

Some time passed, however, before the business 
paid. The receipts for the first four days were just one 
cent, and at the end of the month the total amount 
taken in was one dollar and four cents. Rochester, 
N. Y., was the first city to furnish men and money for a 
telegraph line. Others soon followed, until the business 
has grown to proportions beyond our power to com- 
prehend. 

It is a pleasure to know that the rewards so long 
withheld came to Professor Morse, the inventor of the 
telegraph. He received the highest honors from the 
rulers of Turkey, Prussia, France, Denmark, Spain and 



148 S. 3f, :fiS. /IBorse. . 

other countries. At a special congress, the ten powers 
of Europe presented him with nearly one hundred thou- 
sand dollars, as an expression of the gratitude of their 
subjects. 

As early as 1842, Morse laid a telegraph wire 
under water from Castle Garden at the lower end of 
New York, to Governor's Island in the harbor, but the 
anchor of a vessel destroyed it. The first submarine 
cable was laid in 1850, between Dover, England and 
Calais, France, and the first cable across the Atlantic 
was completed August 26, 1866. 

In the summer of 187 1, a statue was unveiled to 
the memory of Professor Morse in Central Park. It 
was erected by the " telegraphic brotherhood of the 
world." Every State in the Union, as well as the British 
provinces, sent delegates. The services at the public 
reception at the Academy of Music in the evening were 
impressive. When the venerable man came forward 
on the platform, the vast audience broke into cheering. 
He was led to a seat at a small table, on which was 
placed the first telegraph register ever used. It had 
been connected with every telegraph wire in America, 
as well as with those in foreign lands. Amid a pro- 
found stillness the father of the telegraph ticked his 
farewell message to the world in these words : 

" Greeting and thanks to the telegraph fraternity 
throughout the world. Glory to God in the highest ; 
on earth peace, good will toward men." 

And then from the four corners of the earth 



S. 3f. 3B* /IRor0e» 149 



throbbed the answers in the form of a blessinor on the 
bowed head of the old man, whose heart was melted by 
the touching tribute. He died April 2, 1872. 



Te/l m your own zvords ivhat yoii have learned about : 

The extent of the telegraph wires in this country ; Samuel 
Finley Breese Morse ; his first attempts as a painter ; how the 
idea of a magnetic telegraph first entered his mind ; his instruc- 
tion in painting under Benjamin West; the progress he made; 
what he did .with the daguerreotype; his visit to Washington 
and the result; his poverty in the city of New York; the 
incident told by one of his pupils ; the final action of Congress ; 
the first telegram; the humor regarding the telegraph; the 
news of the nomination of James K. Polk ; the first receipts 
from the business ; the honors paid Professor Morse ; the first 
telegraph wire under water ; the Atlantic cable ; the last tribute 
to Professor Morse ; his farewell message ; his death. 



XV. 
J. C. FREMONT. 

Ard'u-ous, attended with much difficulty. As-sign'ed, appointed. 
Ap-pro'pri-a'tion, money set apart. Drought (drout), want 
of rain. Ar-til'ler-y, cannon. Cav'al-ry, troops that serve 
on horseback. In'fant-ry, foot-soldiers. Im-pass'a-ble, that 
which cannot be passed. Vig'i-lance, watchfulness, In-de- 
pend'ent, not subject to the control of others. Mauls, 
heavy wooden hammers or beetles. 

YOU have learned that previous to the Revolution 
the settlements of our country were along or 
near the Atlantic coast. Before and during the 
war for independence, Daniel Boone, James Robertson, 
John Sevier and others crossed the Alleghenies and 
began putting up cabins, to which they afterward took 
their families. This went on until a large population 
had made their homes between those mountains and 
the Mississippi River. None thought of entering the 
immense region beyond, which stretched far away to 
the Pacific Ocean. 

But as the country grew and prospered, it became 
clear that at no distant day that section would become 
an important part of the Union. Before that time 
arrived, it must be explored and people taught all 

C150) 



5. C. jfrcmont. 15' 

about it. During the Presidency of Jefferson, an expe- 
dition was sent out which crossed the continent to the 
Columbia River, down which it made its way to the 
Pacific. It brought back interesting information, which, 
howevei, was confined to a small part of the great West. 
It was necessary to learn much more before the country 
could be developed. 

You have no idea of the Ignorance in those days 
of the West. Some of your parents will remember 
that, in the school geographies they studied, a vast tract 
was marked "Unexplored Region." Where the moun- 
tains and rivers were shown they were wrong, and 
scores of larcre streams and towerino^ mountains that 
ought to have been, on the maps were not there. 
Strano-e that at so late a date the Americans knew 
hardly anything of half their country. 

Thus matters stood until the year 1842, when a 
series of explorations of the West began under the 
direction of John Charles Fremont, who was born in 
Savannah, Georgia, January 21, 181 3. He received a 
fine education, and became an accomplished civil en- 
eineer. He married the dauorhter of Senator Benton, 
one of the foremost statesmen of the country, who gave 
him much help in his arduous work. 

Fremont's First Expedition. — Fremont's first 
expedition left the site of Kansas City, June, 10, 1842, 
and numbered twenty-eight men. They were well 
armed, and a famous mountaineer. Kit Carson, was the 
guide. They followed the general line of the Kansas 



152 5, C, jfremont. 

and Platte Rivers. Forty miles beyond the point where 
the North and South Forks of the Platte join, the party 
separated. Fremont and five men continued along the 
South Fork, while the others struck across the country 
to the North Fork, the two divisions unitino^ at Fort 
Laramie. 

There they heard alarming news. Several Sioux 
(soo) and Cheyenne (shl-enn') warriors had been killed 
by white men, and the Indians had gone on the war- 
path. Fremont was warned that, if he went further, he 
and all his party would be cut off. He asked several 
of the friendly Indians at the fort to go with him, but 
they refused. Some of the bravest of the mountaineers 
urged Fremont to advance no further, but he was deter- 
mined to push on. He told his party that if they were 
afraid they were at liberty to stay behind. Only one 
man accepted the offer. Kit Carson looked upon the 
peril as so grave that he made his will before leaving 
the fort. 

The danger, however, proved to be not from the 
Indians, but from other causes. The grasshoppers had 
eaten what grass was left by a severe drought. Of the 
immense droves of bison which in those days wandered 
over the plains, not an animal was to be seen. The red 
men caused no trouble, but men and horses suffered for 
food. They pressed forward, and, on the 15th of 
August, Fremont climbed one of the loftiest mountain 
peaks of the Wind River range, and planted the stars 
and stripes on the summit. The peak is about two 



5, Ct f lemont 153 

and a half miles high, and is named in honor of the 
explorer. This was the furthest point westward reached 
and the party returned to St. Louis in October. 

Fremont's Second Expedition. — Valuable knowl- 
edge had been gained, but Fremont had only touched 
the edge of the great West. He had fairly begun his 
important work and the government decided to send 
him ao-ain, to eo further and learn more. His second 
expedition started in the spring of 1843, and did not 
return until August of the following year. It included 
thirty-nine men, and after a part of the way had been 
traveled, was joined again by Carson as guide. Fre- 
mont was ordered to finish the survey of the line of 
communication between the State of Missouri and the 
tidewater region of the Columbia. In addition, he was 
to explore the country south of that river, of which very 
little was known. 

Leaving Kansas City in the latter part of May, the 
explorers arrived in sight of Salt Lake early in Sep- 
tember. Eight months later, they were at Utah Lake, 
the southern limit of the Great Salt Lake. They had 
traveled 3,500 miles, had viewed Oregon and California 
from the Rocky Mountains, and the principal streams 
which form harbors on the coast. 

When the reports of Fremont were published, big 
changes had to be made in all the maps of that section. 
Americans were beorinnino: to learn the truth about the 
great West. They knew for the first time of the exist- 
ence of Great Salt Lake, Litde Salt Lake, Klamath 



154 5. C» 3fremont. 

Lake, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the valleys of 
Sacramento and San Joaquin, the Three Parks and the 
Great Basin. It may be said that one direct result of 
this expedition was our gain of the State of California. 
The men suffered much from cold, hunorer, and attacks 
by Indians, but they did a most important work, for 
which Fremont was rewarded with the title of captain 
by brevet ; that is to say, he received the title of captain, 
without the rank or pay. 

Fremont's Third Expedition. — The third expe- 
dition set out in the autumn of 1845. ^^^ object was to 
complete the exploration of the Great Basin, and to 
extend the survey west and southwest, with a view of 
finding the best route to the Pacific in that lower 
latitude. Fremont reached California in December. 
As on the previous expeditions, the men suffered 
severely from the weather, lack of food and the enmity 
of the Indians. It was necessary several times to divide 
the party, but the work assigned was carried through 
with vior-or and thorouorhness. 

Fremont knew before leavinor home that our 
country was on the verge of a war with Mexico, which 
owned California. So, when he and his sixty odd men 
entered that province, they were likely to face a new 
kind of trouble. Leaving his party, he rode to Mon- 
terey (mon'ta-ray) to ask permission of the authorities 
to go into the valley of the San Joaquin to recruit. The 
request was granted and Fremont rode back to his 
camp. His company, however, had hardly entered the 



5. C, jfrcmont. 155 

valley when they learned that General Castro was 
marching to attack them with a strong force of artillery, 
cavalry and infantry. The Mexican commander insisted 
that Fremont's real business was to rouse the people of 
California to rebellion. 

Since the Americans expected to be attacked, they 
prepared for it. They took a strong position in the 
mountains overlooking Monterey, intrenched themselves 
and ran up the flag of the United States. They waited 
for three days, but General Castro did not disturb them. 
Not wishing to involve his country in trouble, and 
believing all danger past, Fremont withdrew and began 
his march to Oregon, intending to return by that route 
to the United States. A number of his men were so 
pleased with California that he allowed them to setde 
there. 

Marching slowly until the middle of May, the ex- 
plorers reached the northern shore of Great Klamath 
Lake. Their further progress was barred by the im- 
passable mountains, covered with snow, and by the 
hostility of the Indians. These had been stirred up by 
General Castro. They gave the Americans no rest, 
attacking them on every opportunity. Four of the ex- 
plorers were killed and wounded, and only by constant 
vigilance were they able to save themselves from being 
cut off 

More disquieting news reached the party. Castro 
was advancing upon them with a strong force, intending 
not only to destroy Fremont's command, but the Amer- 



156 5. C» Jpremont. 

ican settlers in the valley of the Sacramento. Fremont 
then did a brilliant piece of work. He turned on 
Castro and by a number of rapid attacks overthrew 
him and established an independent government in 
California. There was more fiorhtinor and disturbances 
continued for several months. Fremont received help 
from the naval forces on the coast and finally the 
conquest was complete. California became indepen- 
dent and he was appointed its first governor. 

Fremont's Fourth Expedition. — The three ex- 
peditions named were the only ones sent out by the 
government under charge of Fremont. He resigned 
from the army early in 1848. In the fall of that year he 
started on his disastrous fourth expedition. His pur- 
pose was to discover the best route to California by way 
of the upper waters of the Rio Grande and the Indian 
country. His company numbered about thirty, some of 
whom had been with him on one or more of his former 
expeditions. Kit Carson, however, the most valuable 
of them all, was not a member. Another hunter was 
hired as guide. He knew nothing of the country and 
involved the whole party in one of the most dreadful 
experiences ever known. 

Fremont set out in the fall of the year, because he 
wished to learn what difficulties had to be overcome in 
winter. Before long a railway line would connect the 
Atlantic with the Pacific and it was important to know 
the best route for it. The course chosen led throuo-h 
the country of the Utahs, Apaches, Navahoes, Coman- 




('57) 



5. C. ^Fremont. 159 

ches and Kioways, all savage tribes with whom our 
country was at war. 

The company arrived at the base of the first moun- 
tain range late in November. They dismounted and 
waded waist deep in snow. On the other side, they 
found themselves at the head of a beautiful valley. 
With his telescope Fremont plainly saw the pass which 
led through the mountains beyond. The guide, how- 
ever, insisted that the leader was mistaken and un- 
fortunately his advice was followed. 

They now began climbing the mountain chain 
which towered before them. The snow was so deep 
that they had to beat it down with mauls before their 
mules could advance. When at last they reached the 
summit and started down the other side they were 
struck by such an intensely cold hurricane that neither 
men nor animals could withstand it. At times they had 
to lie flat on their faces to keep from being whirled off 
their feet by the awful tempest of snow. The poor 
mules, one hundred and twenty in number, froze stiff 
while huddling together and tumbled over like so many 
blocks of wood. It was certain death to go on or to 
stay where they were. Facing about, the men scrambled 
back over the mountain, and, finding a litde shelter on 
the other side, kindled a fire and by crowding close to- 
eether saved themselves from freezincr to death. 

Their situation was fearful. It would take ten days 
to reach the nearest settlement. Their animals were 
dead and hardly any provisions left. The weather was 



i6o 5. C. jFrcmont. 

like that which drives back the arctic explorers when 
strivino- to reach the North Pole. All seemed doomed 
to perish. 

Seeing that something must be done without delay, 
Fremont selected several of his hardiest men and sent 
them to the setdement for relief. He gave them ten 
days to go and ten to return. Those that were left be- 
hind huddled together, hoping their lives might hold out 
until help came. 

Sixteen days went by and the litde party remained 
alive. Fremont had been anxious from the first about 
the fate of those sent away. He doubted whether they 
would be able to get through. If not cut off by Indians, 
they would be overcome by cold and starvation. He 
decided to start after them. He set out with four com- 
panions intending, if he found nothing of the others, to 
keep on undl he could bring help to the miserable beings 
to whom he bade good-bye. All were on foot with the 
snow almost to their arm pits, their blankets, containing 
a few morsels of food, strapped to their backs. 

After floundering for six days through the snow, 
they stumbled upon the camp of their guide. The men 
were gaunt, wild-eyed and reduced to skeletons. One 
of them had died and his body was partly eaten by his 
companions. The three survivors were helped to their 
feet and all tottered forward. 

A little further and they came upon signs of In- 
dians. At any other time, they would have fled, but 
now they groped through the snow for them. On the 



5, C. ffremont. i6i 

bank of the frozen Del Norte, they saw a warrior get- 
ting water from a hole In the ice. He was surrounded 
and made prisoner. To Fremont's joy he proved to 
be an old acquaintance, whom he had met several years 
before and to whom he had given a number of pres- 
ents. The Indian was glad to meet them and proved 
himself the best sort of friend. He let them have four 
horses and showed them the way to the nearest settle- 
ment. The explorers safely reached Taos, where Fre- 
mont and his companions were sheltered and fed by 
their old friend Kit Carson. Supplies were sent back 
without delay to those that had been left behind in the 
mountains and who were in sore need of help. 

I will not try to tell you what those poor men 
underwent. When they had eaten the last of their 
scanty food, they devoured what bones they could find, 
and in the end chewed their moccasins and even the 
strings of their shoes in the effort to stay the pangs of 
hunger. One of their number proposed to eat the 
bodies of those that died, but I am glad to say it was 
never done. Most of the time the thermometer stood 
twenty degrees below zero. One-third of the number 
perished before the help sent by Fremont reached 
them. 

Fremont's Fifth Expedition.— From Taos Fre- 
mont made his way to California, where he settled. In 
December, he was chosen the first United States Senator 
from the new State. He was appointed for the short 
term as it is called. When it was ended, he went to 



i62 3-» c. 3fremont» 

Europe to arrange for selling some of the rights to the 
valuable land he had acquired in California. While 
abroad, he learned that the government had made an 
appropriation for completing the survey which he had 
partially made, and about which you have just been 
told. He hurried back and set out on his fifth and last 
expedition. This was made in 1853 and '54 and was 
successful in every way, even though he and his men 
were obliged to go forty-eight hours without food and 
lived for fifty days on horseflesh. He crossed the 
Rocky Mountains at the sources of the Arkansas and 
Colorado Rivers, through the Mormon settlements and 
the Great Basin and discovered numerous passes, 
which have proven of great value. In 1856 Fremont, 
" the Pathfinder," was the first candidate of the new 
Republican party for the Presidency, but was defeated 
by James Buchanan, the nominee of the Democratic 
party. 

Fremont lived for some time in California, but was 
in Europe when the Civil War broke out. He returned 
and was made major-general and assigned to the com- 
mand of the western district. He issued an order, de- 
claring free all slaves in his district. He had, however, 
no right to do this. President Lincoln saw that the 
time had not arrived for that step and declared the 
order of no effect. Fremont was recalled and three 
months later given command of the mountain district 
of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. His services 



5» C, 3fremonj. 163 

were not important and he soon resigned. He died in 
New York, July 13, 1890. 

Tell in your own zvords what yon Jiave learned about : 

The ignorance of the great West ; the steps taken in 1842; 
J. C. Fremont; his first expedition; the alarming news at Fort 
Laramie ; what followed ; Fremont's Peak ; the second expedi- 
tion ; the discoveries made ; the sufferings of the explorers ; the 
third expedition ; its object; the threatened war with Mexico; 
Fremont's visit to Monterey ; the troubles with General Castro ; 
the independence of California ; the fourth expedition ; the 
guide ; the purpose of the expedition ; its dangers ; the mistake 
of the guide ; what followed ; what was done by Fremont ; their 
Indian friend; the relief; the fifth expedition ; its purpose and 
success ; Fremont's nomination for the Presidency ; his services 
during the Civil War; his death. 



XVI. 
ABRAHAH LINCOLN. 

£l'o-quent, expressing strong emotions. Tack'le, to lay hold 
of. Home'spun, wrought at home, coarse. Fee, reward 
for services. Se-ced'ing, withdrawing from association. 
In-ten'si-fled, made more intense or extreme. For-bear'- 
ing, patient, kind. 

WHO will be President of the United States fifty 
years from now ? No one can tell. It may be 
a member of your class. It may be you. I 
have no doubt that some schoolboy who is studying this 
little book, will, one of these days, become the head of 
the greatest nation in the world. Do not forget, how- 
ever, that, to reach that high station, you must study 
hard and improve every opportunity to grow wiser and 
better. 

Now who would have dreamed, when, shortly after 
the War of 1812, a hunter tramped over the mountains 
of Kentucky, with his family, that his toddling boy, who 
could not read or write a word, would be one of the 
greatest men that ever sat in the Presidential chair? 
Yet so it proved. That boy was Abraham Lincoln, 
born in Kentucky, February 12, 1809. He was seven 

(164) 



Bbrabam Xincoln. 



165 



years old when his folks moved into the backwoods of 
Indiana. 

The Youth of Lincoln. — The father was as poor 
as he could be. I doubt whether any of you have ever 




EARLY HOME OF LINCOLN. 



seen such a wretched loof cabin as that in which he 
lived. It had only three sides. The fourth was open 
to all kinds of weather. Wood was piled in this yawning 
space, and when the fire was not beaten out by the 
drlvlno- storm, or the smoke did not choke the inmates, 



i66 Bbrabam ^Lincoln. . 

they managed to be comfortable. As for schooling, 
young Abraham Lincoln hardly knew what it meant. 
Now and then he went to the backwoods school, where 
the chief work of the crabbed teacher was to brinof 
down a big switch on the backs of the pupils, so as to 
keep them in order. But young Lincoln studied hard 
and soon learned to read and write. He read with 
close attention whatever books he could borrow from 
his neighbors. Amone these were the Bible, a life of 
Washington, and one of Henry Clay. He read them 
over and over again. 

The youth did one sensible thing: he tried to 
express his thoughts in clear language that a child 
could understand. He did not use bio^ words, as some 
people do to make their hearers think they know a 
great deal. His wish was that all who heard him should 
know just what he meant. We should try to do the 
same. 

Lincoln grew to be six feet four inches tall. He 
was thin, with a homely face and features, but was very 
strong, and one of the best wrestlers for miles around. 
He was fond of jokes and telling stories. His stories 
all had point, and his humor was delightful. He could 
amuse any audience by his wit and laughable anecdotes. 
They were often more effective than the most eloquent 
speeches. 

While a young man, he was placed in charge of a 
flatboat to go to New Orleans. Those craft carried the 
produce of the country down the Ohio to where it joins 



Bbrabam Xincoln. 167 

the Mississippi, and thence to the mouth of the mighty 
river. They floated with the current, helped sometimes 
by the long, sweeping oars. At the end of the voyage 
they w^ere sold, for it was impossible to row them 
several hundred miles back again against the current. 
Who would have thought of picking out a flatboatman 
as the man who was to be twice elected President of the 
United States ? 

The father of Lincoln became tired of the country 
where he was always poor and moved to Illinois. The 
son helped to build the cabin In which they were to live. 
He split a good many of the rails used in building 
fences round the fields. Because of this, many called 
him the " Rail Splitter of Illinois," when he became a 
candidate for the Presidency. He earned his clothes 
by hiring out as a common laboring man. All the time 
he strove to improve his mind. It is said that once 
when he could not make a number of stubborn hogs go 
on a flatboat, he picked them up, one by one, and 
carried the squealing animals aboard. 

He next became a clerk in a country grocery. He 
was liked, for none could tell better stories, and he 
could throw any man that dare tackle him in a wresding 
bout. Best of all, he was honest. More than once he 
walked several miles to correct a mistake by which he 
had given a customer a few pennies short in change. 
As before, he studied hard during his spare time. 

Lincoln was so well thought of that when he helped 
raise a company, in 1832, to take part In the Black 



i68 Bbrabam Lincoln.' 

Hawk War, he was chosen captain. He and his men 
were ready to fight, but the war was over before they 
got a chance^to show their bravery. 

Lincoln's Failures and Successes. — His next 
venture was to try to run a grocery store for himself. 
His partner was good for nothing, and it is to be feared 
that Lincoln himself paid more attention to his studies 
than to his business. Of course a failure followed, 
leaving him deeply In debt. He lived as savingly as 
he could until he had paid the last cent. He served 
awhile as country postmaster, and then became a sur- 
veyor. He had grown so popular because of his 
honesty, wit, good nature and kindness, that his neigh- 
bors elected him to the leofislature. He bought a suit 
of homespun, and walked a hundred miles to Spring- 
field to attend that body. When the session was over, 
he took up surveying, and studied as he gained the 
opportunity. In 1837, he became a lawyer, and went 
to Springfield to live. 

Many anecdotes are told of his honesty and kind- 
ness of heart. When a man asked him to take his 
case, Lincoln of course insisted on knowlno- all the 
particulars. If he thought his visitor was wrong, he 
would tell him so, mve him orood advice, and then 
decline to serve him. If the client was too poor to pay 
a fee, it made no difference. Lincoln would work as 
hard for him as if he were wealthy. That was not the 
way to get rich, but it brought that which Is better than 
riches — an approving conscience. 



Bbcabam Xincoln. 169 

He was elected to Congress in 1846, about the 
time our war with Mexico broke out. He opposed the 
war, but attracted Httle attention until he eno-aeed in a 
poHtical debate with Senator Douglas of Illinois. Some 
of the greatest of American statesmen, like Webster, 
Clay, Calhoun, Benton, and others, were then in Con- 
g-ress, and Lincoln was too modest to thrust himself 
forward. He left no doubt, however, where he stood 
on all public questions. While he was a Congressman, 
many angry discussions took place as to whether slavery 
should be allowed in the territories. Lincoln had no 
wish to interfere with it in the States where it then 
•existed, but he did what he could to prevent its entrance 
into the territories. 

Lincoln's strength among the American people 
grew fast. He became known as a powerful debater, 
whose wit, humor and good sense never failed him. 
He planted himself on the ground of no slavery in the 
territories. The South was resolved that it should go 
there. The quarrel between the North and South 
grew more bitter until we were close upon civil war. 

Lincoln as President. — When the time came, in 
i860, for the men opposed to slavery to nominate a man 
for the Presidency, they selected Lincoln. He was the 
candidate of the Republican party. The Democrats 
could not agree u]^on a single candidate and so divided 
their streno^th that Lincoln was elected. 

Those were stirring days. The South believed in 
what is called " State rights ; " that is, that every State 



ijo Bbrabam Xincoln. • 

had the right to do as It saw fit about staying in or go- 
ing out of the Union. They felt that the election of a 
President opposed to the extension of slavery gave 
them good cause for seceding. Accordingly, the differ- 
ent slave States met in convention and declared them- 
selves no longer in the Union. They formed the 
Southern Confederacy and elected Jefferson Davis 
President. When, therefore, Lincoln became President 
he found one-third of the States arrayed in arms against 
the United States government. He determined to bring 
them all back. 

The war spirit ran like a prairie fire over the North 
and South. Thousands of more volunteers than were 
asked for rushed forward and clamored to be oriven 
places in the ranks. The sound of the fife and drum 
was heard through the night as well as the day. The 
streets were crowded with the marching soldiers, cheer- 
ing and eager to fight. Railway trains and steamers 
were loaded down with armed regiments hurrying south- 
w^ard, where every city, town, village, hamlet and the 
backwoods poured out their volunteers to repel the in- 
vaders from the North. 

The capture of Fort Sumter in Charleston har- 
bor by the Confederates In April, 1861, intensified the 
war spirit of both sections. Richmond was made the 
capital of the Southern Confederacy and its Congress 
assembled there in July. During the same month, the 
Northern and Southern armies met In the battle of Ma- 



Bbrabam ILincoln. 



171 



nassas, or Bull Run. The Union army was defeated 
and driven back in confusion to Washington. 

I cannot tell you in this place about the Civil War. 
You will find something more in the story of General 
Grant and the particulars in the large histories. The 
advantao-e at first was with the South, who were brave 




ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 

and commanded by skilful leaders, but the North out- 
numbered them and had more resources. By and by, 
the North began to gain and the war ended in April, 
1865. The South was conquered and gradually each 
State came back into the Union which is now far 
stronger than ever before. 

Lincoln proved himself the man of all others to be 



172 Bbrabam Xincoln. 



President during the war for the Union. His genius 
told him the right time to take an important step. His 
mistakes were few and did not hinder to an)^ extent the 
cause of the Union. He was patient and forbearing 
and selected the right men to lead the armies and to 
give him counsel. When he was shot by an assassin, on 
the 14th of April, 1865, the South lost a friend and he 
was mourned not only by all the North, but throughout 
the civilized world. 



Tell in your own words what yon have learned about : 

The birth of Abraham Lincoln ; his younger days ; the 
sensible thing he did ; his personal appearance ; his wit and 
skill in story-telling ; his experience as a flatboatman ; ia split- 
ting rails; as a country grocer; in the Black Hawk War; as 
country postmaster; in the legislature; his honesty; in Con- 
gress ; his popularity ; his election to the Presidency ; the 
Southern Confederacy ; the war spirit North and South ; Fort 
Sumter and Manassas, or Bull Run; the end of the war; the 
genius of Lincoln ; his death. 



XVII. 
U. S. GRANT. 

At-tain'ments, that which is learned or attained. Reg'i^-ment, a 
body of soldiers, usually ten companies, commanded by a 
colonel Quart'er-mas'ter, an officer who provides quarters, 
supplies, transportation, etc, for troops. Block-ad'ed, closed 
by troops or ships. Re-tlre'ment, state of bemg retired or 
withdrawn. Il-lus'tri-ous, distinguished, famous, exalted. 
Mem'oir (mem'wor or me'mwor), a familiar history or 
biography. 

THE most famous general on the Union side during 
the Civil War was born at Point Pleasant, Ohio, 
April, 27, 1822. His parents removed the following 
year to the village of Georgetown, in the same State, 
where the son spent his boyhood. Some persons do 
not achieve greatness until well along in years, while 
others require trying occasions to develop the ability 
within them. It was thus with General Grant. 

There was litde, if anything, in his boyhood to re- 
veal his military genius. He wrought like other lads 
to help his father, first on a farm and later in a tannery. 
He became a strong, sturdy youth, of moderate stature, 
was quiet, thoughtful and did what was required of him 
with thoroughness. At the age of seventeen, he was 
"^ (173) 



174 "CI. S. Grant. 

appointed a cadet to the West Point Military Academy. 
Although his name was Hiram Ulysses Grant, his 
appointment was made out for Ulysses Simpson Grant. 
Thus it remained ever afterward. 

Grant's First Services as a Soldier. — Grant was 
graduated twenty-first in a class of thirty-nine. This was 
fair. He might have done better, had he applied himself 
more, but he was not specially fond of a military life. At 
best he could not have led his class. He showed fine 
attainments in mathematics. In the summer of 1845, ^^e 
regiment to which he was attached as second lieutenant 
was ordered to Texas, to join the army of General 
Taylor. The first fighting Grant saw was at Palo Alto 
(pah1o ahl'to), one of the opening battles of the Mexican 
War. He took part in the engagements of Resaca de la 
Palma (ra-sah'cah da lah pahl'ma), Monterey and the siege 
of Vera Cruz (va'rah crooz). He was made quarter- 
master of his regiment, but still took part in all its 
operations. He was appointed first lieutenant on the 
field for gallantry and breveted captain at Chapultepec 
(cha-pool'te-pec') . 

After the fall of the city of Mexico, Grant came 
back with his regiment and was stationed first at Detroit 
and afterward at Sackett's Harbor. He married Miss 
Julia Dent of St. Louis in 1848. Four years later he 
accompanied his regiment to California and Oregon and 
soon afterward was commissioned full captain. He re- 
signed in 1854, moved to St. Louis and spent several 
years on a farm near the city. He acted also as 



•O. 5. ©rant. 



175 



real estate agent and tried to obtain the office of city 
surveyor, but'' failed. He next lived at Galena, Illinois, 




ULYSSES S. GRANT. 

where he was employed by his father in the leather trade. 
He served also as clerk in his store, his wages being 
fifty dollars a month. 



176 Xa. S. (3rant. 

Grant in the Civil War. — The Civil War was at 
hand. When President Lincoln issued his call for vol- 
unteers, Grant was chosen captain of a company raised 
in Galena and marched with it to Springfield, the capital. 
The governor retained him as aide and he acted as 
mustering officer of the Illinois volunteers, until ap- 
pointed colonel of the twenty-first regiment. He 
joined it at Mattoon, organized and drilled it at Casey- 
ville and then crossed into Missouri, where it formed 
part of, the guard of the Hannibal and Missouri Rail- 
way. 

In one respect. Grant showed marked wisdom from 
the first. As soon as he was given charge of a bcfdy of 
men he set to work drilling them. Other Union offi- 
cers were inclined to spend months in camp while doing 
this, but Grant drilled them, as may be said, " on the 
run." While doing so; he hunted for the enemy. He 
reasoned that if he took a long time to prepare his re- 
cruits, his opponents would do the same, so that when 
he was ready for battle, they would be equally ready. 
The relative position of the two would remain as if no 
delay had taken place. Besides, a great deal of valuable 
cime would be lost. 

On the last day of July, 1861, Grant was placed in 
command of the troops at Mexico, Missouri. These 
formed part of the forces under General Pope. He 
was promoted to brigadier-general the following month 
and took command of the troops at Cairo. With his 
usual promptness, he occupied Paducah, Kentucky, 



•Ql. S. (3rant. i77 

which was threatened by the Confederates. His first 
batde in the Civil War was at Belmont in November. 
He commanded in person and had a horse shot under 
him. He drove the Confederates out of their camp and 
then withdrew to his fleet on the river, cutting his way 
through the reinforcements that were coming. 

That which brought his name before the whole 
country was the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson. 
It was the first real victory of the war and thrilled the 
North with hope. The name of the victor was on every 
one's lips and people began to ask why the other Union 
generals could not do as well as he. 

The terrific battle of Pittsburg Landing followed. 
This, at first, was a victory for the Confederates, who 
surprised Grant. They were led by Albert Sidney 
Johnston, one of their ablest generals, and at one time 
the Union army was in danger of being overwhelmed. 
But General Johnston was killed and in the end the 
Confederates were beaten back. 

The history of General Grant now became the 
leading feature of the history of the war for the Union. 
The particulars of his great work will be found in the 
books which you expect to study. When the Civil War 
opened, it was necessary for the government to do 
three thino-s before the Union could be restored and 
the seceding States brought back. 

First, all the Southern ports had to be blockaded 
to prevent the Confederate cruisers taking out cotton 
and bringing back supplies. Second, the Mississippi 

12 



178 *Gl, S. Grant. . 

must be opened all the way to its mouth. The Confed- 
eracy drew upon Texas and the vast section beyond for 
most of its cattle and provisions. Besides, a number of 
the secedine States w^ere on the other side of the river. 
Thus, you see, if the batteries which the Confederates 
had placed along the lower Mississippi could be de- 
stroyed and the soldiers driven away, the Confederacy 
would be cut in two. The third thing necessary was 
the capture of the strongest of the Confederate armies, 
which was in Virginia, under General Robert E. Lee. 
He was one of the ablest military leaders in the country, 
and for years defeated every Union army sent against 
him and prevented all attempts to capture Richmond, 
the capital of the Confederacy. 

Vicksburg was the great obstacle to the opening of 
the Mississippi. Grant laid siege to it, and, after 
months of hard fighting, it surrendered on the 4th of 
July, 1863. This victory opened the Mississippi 
throucrhout its whole lencrth. 

Almost on the same day. General Lee, who had be- 
gun an invasion of the North, was defeated at Gettysburg, 
Pennsylvania, in one of the most tremendous battles 
of modern times. The Confederacy received a mortal 
wound, but it continued to fight bravely for nearly two 
years longer. 

As I have told you, General Lee defeated and for a 
time drove back every army that tried to reach Rich- 
mond. The success of Grant in the w'est caused the 
government to bring him east to try wdiat he could do 




THE MAN ON HORSEBACK" (U. S. GRANT). 



(179) 



•d. S. ©rant. i8i 

against Lee. It was the most gigantic task of the war. 
The fighting was fearful, but Grant was given all the 
soldiers he needed, while Lee's army steadily dwindled, 
because the South had all her able-bodied men in the 
ranks and could get no more. 

So Grant kept hammering away and pushing Lee 
back. The day came in April, 1865, when Lee saw it 
was useless to resist any longer. Richmond had fallen 
and President Davis and the leading officers of the 
Confederacy had fled southward. Lee, therefore, sur- 
rendered what was left of his brave army. Soon after, 
armed resistance to the Federal armies ceased every- 
where, and by and by all the States were back again in 
the Union. 

Grant as President. — The gratitude which every 
lover of the Union felt for its foremost defender caused 
honors to be heaped upon General Grant. He was 
elected President in 1868 and re-elected four years 
later. Soon after his retirement, he made a journey 
round the world. The illustrious soldier was received 
everywhere with the highest honors. 

Grant's Closing Years. — General Grant now 
entered into business in New York. He was success- 
ful for a time, but in the end lost a great deal of money, 
through the dishonesty of persons with whom he was 
associated. Not long after, a cancer appeared at the 
root of his tongue. He suffered gready and during his 
last sickness prepared his memoirs. These appeared 
in two larcre volumes and reached an enormous sale. 



i82 Ta. S. ©rant 

He died July 23, 18S5, at Mount McGregor, New 
York. His funeral services were the most impressive 
ever held in the United States. 

General Grant will always hold a high place in the 
hearts of his admiring countrymen. He and President 
Lincoln did more than any other two men to restore the 
Union, Both were honest and wise and loved their 
country more than their lives. Grant showed wisdom 
in selecting his helpers. Hardly second to his fame is 
that of Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas and a host of 
others, who gave unswerving support and invaluable 
aid, while back of them all was the solid wall of the 
hundreds of thousands of " boys in blue," who rallied to 
the defence of our country in her hour of sorest need. 



Te/l in your own zvords what you have learned about : 

The birth and boyhood of U. S. Grant; his cliange of 
name; Grant at West Point; in the Mexican War; in civil life; 
his first service in the Civil War ; his practice of drilling his 
soldiers " on the run ; " his first battle ; the capture of Forts 
Henry and Donelson ; the battle of Pittsburg Landing; of Get- 
tysburg; the surrender of General Lee; Grant as President ; his 
tour round the world ; his closing days ; his place in the hearts 
of his countrymen. 



XVIII. 
THOHAS A. EDISON. 

Re-torts', vessels in which substances are distilled or dissolved 
by heat. Prac'ti-cal, capable of being turned to use. E-lab'- 
o-rate, highly finished. Cab, the place provided for the 
engineer and fireman on a locomotive. Bar'ri-er, any 
obstruction. Gen'er-ate, to produce, to cause. Dy^ia-mo', 
the instrument in an electrical machine where the electricity 
is generated. Plant, fixtures and tools for carrying on any 
trade. 

ONE day, just before the opening of the Civil War, I 
was riding over the Grand Trunk Railway of 
Canada and Central Michigan. Between two of 
the important stations, the train boy came hustling into 
the car, with a bundle of papers under his arm. I 
noticed his glazed cap and the muffler round his neck, 
as well as his bright, wide-awake manner. When he 
asked me to buy a copy of the Grand Trunk Herald, 
I very willingly did so. 

A glance over the paper showed it was of a boyish 
character, and printed only on one side. It was twelve 
by sixteen inches in size, and the contents were fur- 
nished mostly by railway men. There were two re- 
markable facts, however, connected with that litde 

(183) 



1 84 



XTbomas B. JEMson. 



paper: It was the only journal in the world printed on 
a railway train, and the grinning boy who printed It was 
destined to become one of the most remarkable men 
that ever lived. He was Thomas Alva Edison, born at 

Milan, Ohio, February 
II, 1847. 

His mother had 
formerly been a school 
teacher, and she gave 
her son about all the 
instruction he ever re- 
ceived. His reeular 
schooling amounted to 
less than two months. 
He was a great reader. 
His Intense curiosity to 
learn^whatever he could 
caused him to read 
everything on which he 
could lay hands. When 
only ten years old, he 
was deep In different 
histories, encyclopedias, and works on chemistry. His 
parents were poor, and at the age of twelve, he began 
earning wages for himself. He was so energetic that 
he soon ran a book store, a vegetable store and news 
stand, and had eleven boys under him. 

The inquiring mind of Edison had already shown 
Itself. In an unused section of a smoklno^ car, he 




THOMAS A. EDISON. 



^bomas B. :6Oi0on, 185 

gathered a number of bottles and retort stands, and 
while the train was rattling over the road pushed his 
experiments as a chemist. He had picked up some 
idea of printing in the offices of Detroit and he 
now bought a lot of worn type, added a printing office 
to his establishment, and began the publication of the 
Grand Trunk Herald. It reached a circulation of about 
four hundred copies, and he printed some forty numbers 
before his interests in other directions compelled him to 
stop. 

Young Edison showed the practical bent of his 
mind by telegraphing in advance along the road the 
head lines of the exciting war news in the principal 
papers he sold. He thus roused so much curiosity that 
when he arrived at the station crowds were clamorino- 
for the papers. He quickly sold all at five times their 
usual price. 

The end of his run was Detroit. There he found 
plenty of chances to gratify his love for reading. When 
he walked into the public library and feasted his eyes 
on the treasures spread before him, he resolved to read 
right through every book in the collection. He began 
on the lower shelf, with the most elaborate works, and, 
omitting nothing, actually read fifteen feet in a line. 

Such a wide awake, inquisitive boy was sure to 
meet with some mishaps. One day, during his absence, 
a bottle of phosphorus fell on the floor and set the 
baggage car on fire. The angry conductor put out the 
flames and then kicked all the possessions of the youth 



i86 C^bomas 2l» BDison.^ 

from the car. When Edison appeared he was soundly 
cuffed. A sad result of this punishment was that he 
has been partially deaf ever since. 

One of the lad's ventures was the publication at 
Port Huron of a small paper called -Paul Pry. Some 
of the writers made their articles so personal that they 
o-ave offence. One person was so provoked that he 
seized Edison by the neck and heels and flung him into 
the river. The lad got a taste of the trials of an editor 
thus early in life. 

He felt a growing interest in telegraphy. He and 
another boy rigged up a short line and sent messages 
back and forth. Finding he could save himself a long 
walk by leaping from the train, he fixed a pile of sand 
at the right place and regularly jumped off, when the 
cars were going twenty-five or thirty miles an hour. A 
litde child of one of the station-masters strayed in front 
of a train, and would have been killed but for young 
Edison, who, at the risk of his own life, made a flying 
leap in front of the engine, and snatched the little one 
from death. The grateful father paid the lad in the 
best way possible : he taught him to be a skilful tele- 
graph operator. 

While still a boy, he showed much ingenuity. I 
suppose you know that any trained telegraphist can 
read a message by sound. That is, by standing in an 
office and listeninor to the clickinor of the instrument, he 
can easily make out the message passing over the 
wires. It happened one day that an ice-jam broke the 



^bomas 21, BOlson, 187 

cable between Port Huron in Michigan and the station 
on the Canada side. The river there is more than a 
mile wide and all communication was at an end for the 
time. The stream was impassable and it would take a 
long while to mend the cable. 

Edison climbed into the cab of a locomotive, stand- 
ing near the river and began tooting the whisde. He 
broke the sounds into long and short bursts, corre- 
sponding with those of a telegraph instrument. After 
awhile, the operator on the other side understood what 
he was doing and answered in the same way. Thus 
the telegraphing continued until the cable was mended. 
Several years followed during which Edison wandered 
from place to place with his eyes and ears wide open. 
He had become an expert telegraphist and had no 
trouble in securing work when he wanted it. He was 
beginning to believe in himself. 

In 1868, he entered a Boston office in quest of a 
job. His dress was so shabby and his appearance so 
uncouth that his fellow-operators thought they would 
have some sport at his expense. They placed him at 
the New York wire, because the man at the other end 
sent matter faster than any one else. He was notified 
of the scheme on foot and urged to do his best. So he 
began telegraphing to the new operator at his highest 
speed. The other young men smiled and watched Edi- 
son to see how he would make out. He knew what 
was going on and, in a hand as beautiful as copperplate, 
wrote out the messages as fast as they were ticked off.. 



i88 ^bomas B. Bdison. 

Not only that, but he called to the operator in New 
York to hurry up and send matter faster. Edison cer- 
tainly had the best of that joke. 

His habit of wandering about and spending his 
money in books, chemicals and experiments kept him 
so poor that at times he had hardly enough to eat. In 
the same year that the little incident just told about took 
place he went to New York. He spent several weeks 
strolling about the city, hungry and in tattered gar- 
ments. One day he walked into the office of the Law 
Gold Reporting Company. There was great excite- 
ment in Wall street and throughout the country. A 
break had caused the company to shut down their en- 
tire plant, for no one could tell where the accident had 
happened in the machinery. Edison put his finger on 
the difficulty at once. He was given employment and 
in a short time, received a check for ^40,000 as his 
share of an improved stock printer. 

From this time forward his reputation grew 
rapidly. He had already begun work on some of his 
greatest inventions. He was and is so absorbed in 
these that for fifteen years and more he has averaged 
twenty hours a day of work. He has been known to 
spend sixty successive hours on one problem, then fall 
asleep, and when he awoke refreshed has attacked the 
same question again. 

A peculiarity of this remarkable man is that as 
soon as he completes an invention he does not wish to 
see or hear of it aeain. All his interest in it vanishes 



^bomas B. BMson. 189 

and he hurries to some other problem. He has not 
used a telephone for ten years and says he would walk 
a long way to avoid one of his own incandescent lights. 

It would be vain to try to describe or tell about the 
inventions of Edison. His patents number almost a 
thousand. You have seen the phonograph, the instru- 
ment in which you can talk or sing, and then by turning 
a crank hear it repeated by the machine. The voice 
can thus be preserved for hundreds and perhaps thou- 
sands of years. By means of the telepone a person in 
New York can hold a conversation with a friend in 
Chicago, just as though the two were sitting together 
in a room. Before long, no doubt, the Atlantic Ocean 
will be no barrier to a chat between folks. 

Suppose the phonograph were an old invention : 
to-day we could listen to the voices of Washington, 
Columbus, Shakespeare, and even the prophets and 
good men we read about in the Bible. How startling 
the thought that you may utter words and sentences 
which will be heard a thousand years from now by the 
people that will then be on the earth, and just as they 
were spoken by you ! 

Edison has found out how to send two currents 
through a wire at the same time and two others also at 
the same time from an opposite direction. It is esti- 
mated that in America alone this invention has saved the 
enormous sum of $15,000,000. He expects to increase 
the quadruple system, or four currents, to six or eight. 

One of his machines is called a tasimeter. It meas- 



I90 tTbomas B. BDison* 

ures heat and is so delicate that it shows the variation 
of one-miiUonth of a degree of the thermometer. If you 
stand within eight feet, it will tell the temperature of your 
body, as it will that of a gas jet a hundred and twenty 
feet distant. It is so sensitive to moisture that it has 
moved eleven degrees when one's finger with a drop of 
water was held five inches away. 

The microphone magnifies all sounds a hundred 
thousand times. The buzzing of a fly or the humming 
of a bee through the microphone sounds like peals of 
deafening thunder or the roar of Niagara Falls. 

Now, if you will stop to think for a few minutes, 
you can see how useful these inventions may become. 
Amonor the orreatest dangers to navioration are the 
mountains of ice that sweep down from the far North 
and crush the strongest vessel as if it were an eggshell. 
The tasimeter will give notice, through the lowering of 
the temperature, of the approach of an iceberg when the 
keenest eye cannot detect its approach in the darkness. 
When the microphone is perfected what is to prevent a 
boy standing on this side of the Adantic and talking 
with his cousin in England, or with some person in Asia 
or Africa ? The great difficulty at present is that the 
microphone magnifies all sounds v/ithin its reach so 
that the din becomes overvvhelmino-. 

Here is another invention which Edison is studying 
over and which he says he is certain to master. To 
generate electricity we have to burn coal, which makes 
steam. This is changed into force or energy, and that 



into electricity. By the time the energy from the coal 
reaches the dynamo, where the electricity appears, it 
has lost six-sevenths of its power and still more goes 
to waste. Now, if the steam engine can be left out 
and the electricity be obtained directly from the coal, 
what a saving it will make ! 

Our Atlantic steamers which burn 2,500 tons of 
coal in crossing the ocean would burn only 250 tons. 
The ship-builders say that if they could burn 2,000 tons 
a day, the steamers would attain a speed of forty knots 
an hour. When Edison completes his invention, 200 
tons a day will do as much as 2,000 tons do now. We 
shall then be able to 00 from New York to London in 
two or three days. 

When that time arrives our locomotives will no 
longer be run by steam. Electricity will be used as it is 
now used with street cars. Edison thinks the speed of 
our express trains will be about one hundred and fifty 
miles an hour. At that rate the journey from New 
York to San Francisco will begin and end within a day. 

Now, when Edison says he has only begun his dis- 
coveries and inventions, no one can guess what is com- 
ing next. It is reasonable to believe that the day is not 
distant when every person will have his air-ship or bal- 
loon, which he will handle as easily as boys and girls 
manage their bicycles. The engines of war will be 
made so fearfully destructive that nations will not dare to 
fight each other. The farmer will set up a small elec- 
tric plant and then plough his ground, cut his wood and 



192 C^bomas 21. BDison* 

do all his own work, as well as the chores which now 
fall to the lot of the boys and younger members of the 
family. 

But by and by this marvelous man must lie down 
and die. His mighty brain and inventive powers cannot 
find a way of extending life beyond the regular span of 
years. When he passes away who shall take his place ? 

Perhaps it may be you who are reading these 
words. It would be untrue to say that by hard study 
you can equal Edison. His ability is a gift which no 
man has ever equalled, but all of us can improve our 
minutes and hours. If you have a bent in the direction 
of invention it will soon show itself. Every one has a 
talent for some calling or profession and perhaps in the 
mind of more than one boy or girl is slumbering the 
wonderful genius of an Edison. If so, the surest 
means of developing it is by hard work and the fullest 
improvement of time. 

Tell in your own words zvhat yon have learned about : 

The Grand Trunk Herald; Edison's birth ; his thirst for 
knowledge ; his business energy ; his work on the railway train; 
as a chemist ; the mishap that befell him ; his experience with 
his Paul Pry newspaper ; his brave exploit ; his telegraphing by 
means of a locomotive whistle ; the incident in the Boston of- 
fice; in the Law Gold Reporting Company ; his capacity for 
mental work ; his dislike of his completed inventions ; the pho- 
nograph ; the telephone ; the phonograph, if it were an old in- 
vention ; his quadruplex system of telegraphy ; the tasimeter ; 
the microphone ; the process of obtaining electricity directly 
from coal ; what will follow with our ocean steamers ; with our- 
locomotives ; the field for future inventions. 



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